Bell recalled after bizarre run-out

The contentious run-out of Ian Bell at the stroke of tea on the third day, which threatened to erupt into the biggest controversy of the series, was overturned during the break after MS Dhoni withdrew the appeal.

At the stroke of tea, Bell's run-out on 137, after having left the crease before the ball was dead, was on the verge of becoming a major point of dispute between the two sides. During the break, England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower went to the Indian dressing room to ask MS Dhoni if the run-out decision could be overturned. The Indians agreed to withdraw the appeal.

At the resumption after tea, Bell and Eoin Morgan walked out to cheers from a surprised and appreciative crowd, which just a few minutes earlier had booed the two umpires - a small section of the crowd even chanting, the word 'cheat' - and then the Indian team as it made its way out, with Strauss and his men standing on the balcony of their pavilion clapping the Indians onto the field.

It all began when Morgan flicked the last ball of the 66th over, from Ishant Sharma, to deep square leg where Praveen Kumar tumbled over trying to field. The batsmen, having taken the third, appeared to be unsure whether the ball had reached the boundary. Morgan held up his arm to Bell, who jogged halfway down the pitch and then continued walking down. The throw from Praveen eventually came in to Abhinav Mukund, who took off the bails and appealed for a run-out. By that time, Bell had punched gloves with his partner and was heading towards the pavilion.

The umpires checked again with the Indians as to whether they had appealed. When the Indians said they had, the third umpire was asked to establish whether the ball had crossed the boundary. The two batsmen, who had reached the edge of the field, were asked not to leave the ground. It was learnt that during the incident the Indians had been asked three times whether they were sure whether they wanted to persist with the appeal or whether they wanted to change their mind.

Other recalls

You'll struggle to find an identical incident, but Tony Greig and Alvin Kallicharran came pretty close. It was the last ball of the day's play at Port of Spain in 1973-74. Bernard Julien defended just past Tony Greig at silly point, and Kallicharan walked off assuming it was stumps. Greig ran Kallicharan out, and after crowd trouble, and a meeting between the umpires, the captains and the board representatives, the appeal was withdrawn. Kallicharan added 16 to reach 158, West Indies won by seven wickets.

For a change, not a run-out. In the Golden Jubilee Test, in 1979-80, Gundappa Viswanath was convinced Bob Taylor was not out when ruled caught-behind, and insisted he be called back. Taylor's match-turning partnership of 171 with Ian Botham was worth only 85 when Viswanath made the gesture that earned him a lot of respect. India lost by 10 wickets

Keen not to repeat a much-regretted similar decision by Paul Collingwood, Andrew Strauss did what his team's coach Andy Flower thought was too generous. In a Champions Trophy game against Sri Lanka, he called back Angelo Mathews who was given run out after a collision with Graham Onions, who was not in the wrong at all. Mathews added only one to his 51, and England went on to win by six wickets.

There was a delay of eight minutes as the third umpire reviewed the replay and decided that the ball had not crossed the boundary. The decision of "out" flashed up on the screen, and the Indians left the field to heavy booing from the crowd. The Sky TV coverage showed during the incident as well on its nightly news, a clipping of Bell walking towards fourth umpire Tim Robinson and saying what sounded like, "He called over." In his media conference, however Bell said he did not hear any umpire calling 'over.' The Sky TV audio track also has no sound of the umpire calling over. The only time the word "over" is heard on that piece of video tape, comes from Ishant who, after the bails are dislodged, is heard asking in Hindi if the over had ended and whether it was time for tea.

Just over an hour after the incident, an announcement was made on the stadium's public address system, explaining the incident to the full house at Trent Bridge. The crowd heard that after Strauss and Flower asked Dhoni to withdraw the appeal, he went across to his team-mates and sought their view. The team agreed to recall Bell to the crease and the decision was made known to the England camp. The announcement stated that the ECB thanked the Indian team's gesture to withdraw the appeal against Bell and asked the crowd to show its appreciation. Once the announcement ended, applause rang out all around Trent Bridge.

Speaking after the day's play, Bell was appreciative of India's decision to reinstate him, and admitted that it was naive on his part to leave the crease with the ball still in play. "From Praveen's body language, it looked like that had gone for four," Bell told the Star Cricket channel. "Probably naïve on my behalf, but taking into account the spirit of cricket and everything, this was probably the right decision. It wasn't until we [Bell and Morgan] reached the boundary rope, when the umpires asked us to wait, that I knew something was on. It's fantastic the way India have gone about this. The captains and coaches got together, and were asked if the decision would stand. Duncan Fletcher and MS Dhoni went back to discuss it with the team and came back to us, and I got the nod."

Rahul Dravid said the Indian team was in unanimous agreement that the decision had to be reversed. "In the laws of the game, if you follow them strictly, that was out, but it didn't feel right in the spirit of the game," he said. "There was a team discussion during the tea interval, Dhoni and Fletcher convened the meeting, and Dhoni led it. There was a feeling of unanimity that we should reinstate Bell because the spirit of the game was important, and that getting him out in that way would contravened the spirit ... If this had happened to our guys we would not have been happy about it. So all of that was discussed."

There was appreciation from the ECB chief executive David Collier and the ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, both of whom acknowledged the appeal for the run-out was a valid one. "The withdrawal of a valid appeal at the tea interval was made in the spirit of cricket by the India team and demonstrates the true spirit in which the game of cricket should be played and the excellent relationship between the ECB and BCCI," Collier said in a statement. "On behalf of the ECB I wish to express the England and Wales Cricket Board's grateful thanks the BCCI and the India team."

Lorgat said the withdrawal of the appeal showed great maturity on the part of India. "The initial appeal and umpire decision may have been acceptable to the letter of the law, the decision by India captain MS Dhoni and his team - as well as the Team India coaching staff - to withdraw the appeal shows great maturity. To see players and officials uphold the great spirit of cricket, which has underpinned the game for more than a century, is very special."

I think the incident is like the Hilditch handling the ball incident. Plain stupid - Hilditch was OUT, no recourse, but a sour taste. Bell was OUT, India would of been in their right not to drop the appeal. I know that unless you are in somebody's shoes (Bell), you can never say what they should of done, but I'd like to think if I was in his position - I would of declined to come back out. I don't think it had a direct outcome on the game, but India did drop off afterwords - which suggests more of a mental fragility than anything else. Dhoni deserves credit - even if the way it eventually came to pass has a few questionable twists!

westindiancanadian
on August 2, 2011, 18:13 GMT

well said Kannan. This is why you have umpires...no four was signalled so you cannot assume that the ball was dead. The game has rules for a reason and quite frankly I don't see any grey area here. I am a nuetral observer of this series and must conclude that Dhoni should NOT have withdrawn the appeal. What if there were overthrows and Bell had a nice head start? Many test matches have been decided by one run.

sachin_vvsfan
on August 2, 2011, 14:45 GMT

@Marcio I dont think ponting/ Aus team knew laxman was carrying injury. He was injured in previous series and was expected to come fully fit in that series but after playing the game first day (first innings by AUS) he was injured again and hence ponting allowed him a runner. But since they knew ponting wont allow that in second test IND rested laxman. Please dont write rubbish and talk about pontings recent sporting spirit in WC (knicked and waited for UDRS to confirm?)

on August 2, 2011, 6:15 GMT

Does anyone else share my feeling that the decision to withdraw the run out appeal against Bell was a forced one? Somehow my gut feeling is that this decision was not "IN THE SPIRIT OF CRICKET" or "FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE GAME", whatever be the versions of the players, officials or media. I still do not feel that this would have happened if the fielding side was England or Australia. The Indian players also looked a bit more dejected (than usual) at the resumption of play after tea.

mohsin9975
on August 2, 2011, 0:49 GMT

Absolute idiocy shown by bell which was reciprocated by msd. Der is no question of S.O.T.G out here. Batsmen forgetting rule or just ignoring it is unpardonable. Once batsman crosses boundary ropes how can u recall him. Dis is rule breaking by both teams and the umpire. U dont need to laud msd for upholding the S.O.T.G. Had he been so concernd he wud hav reverted his appeal on the ground itself. It was at strauss nd flowers insistence that he made the decision,that too i think becoz of the seniors in the dressing room. All this was done to keep the ecb happy. Some posters here are comparing this to bhajjis lbw. It is totally different. Bells incident was rare. Bhajjis mode of dismissal hapens every other day for which every nation wants drs.But bccis stupidity cost us dat wicket nd will cost us in both d upcoming tests

chad_reid
on August 1, 2011, 22:24 GMT

SO THIS IS HOW INDIANS TREAT THIER TWO WORLD CUP WINNING CAPTAIN AND WHO TOOK THEM TO NUMBER ONE IN TESTS WHAT A DISGRACE DHONI SHOULD QUIT PLAYING CRICKET IN INDIA AND PLAY IN A COUNTRY THAT GIVES HIM RESPECT JUST PATHETIC, THE INDIANS.

subbass
on August 1, 2011, 22:00 GMT

well, all I know is that if sachin or Dravid or laxman was run out in such a way, there would have been riots, the mere fact the injuns recalled him tells u all u need to know FACT !

kumarcoolbuddy
on August 1, 2011, 19:50 GMT

@GSaagar, this was exactly my question too. Michael Vaughan wantedly accused VVS. This is part of ENG's mind game. Even Ian Botham teased Indians saying "How can India hope to win with deleted side" which he wa trying to put pyschological pressure on Indians and he was afraid that Indians would win second test.

200ondebut
on August 1, 2011, 17:58 GMT

Nothing like the Elliot decision - he tried to get in the fielders way and came off second best. Bell thought the ball had gone for four and was therefore dead. If it wasn't because it was the last ball before tea it would have happened. Anyway, it didn't change the outcome and as a result MSD comes out of the match with credit (which could not be said of Collingwood). Although after what NZ did to Murali I guess they deserved it.

GSaagar
on August 1, 2011, 14:55 GMT

How does Vaughan knows Hot Spot can be cheated by appling vaseline - tried before? - Why accuse greate player like VVS with no proof. I think John Lever in 80's used vaseline before Vs India.

Meety
on August 3, 2011, 1:24 GMT

I think the incident is like the Hilditch handling the ball incident. Plain stupid - Hilditch was OUT, no recourse, but a sour taste. Bell was OUT, India would of been in their right not to drop the appeal. I know that unless you are in somebody's shoes (Bell), you can never say what they should of done, but I'd like to think if I was in his position - I would of declined to come back out. I don't think it had a direct outcome on the game, but India did drop off afterwords - which suggests more of a mental fragility than anything else. Dhoni deserves credit - even if the way it eventually came to pass has a few questionable twists!

westindiancanadian
on August 2, 2011, 18:13 GMT

well said Kannan. This is why you have umpires...no four was signalled so you cannot assume that the ball was dead. The game has rules for a reason and quite frankly I don't see any grey area here. I am a nuetral observer of this series and must conclude that Dhoni should NOT have withdrawn the appeal. What if there were overthrows and Bell had a nice head start? Many test matches have been decided by one run.

sachin_vvsfan
on August 2, 2011, 14:45 GMT

@Marcio I dont think ponting/ Aus team knew laxman was carrying injury. He was injured in previous series and was expected to come fully fit in that series but after playing the game first day (first innings by AUS) he was injured again and hence ponting allowed him a runner. But since they knew ponting wont allow that in second test IND rested laxman. Please dont write rubbish and talk about pontings recent sporting spirit in WC (knicked and waited for UDRS to confirm?)

on August 2, 2011, 6:15 GMT

Does anyone else share my feeling that the decision to withdraw the run out appeal against Bell was a forced one? Somehow my gut feeling is that this decision was not "IN THE SPIRIT OF CRICKET" or "FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE GAME", whatever be the versions of the players, officials or media. I still do not feel that this would have happened if the fielding side was England or Australia. The Indian players also looked a bit more dejected (than usual) at the resumption of play after tea.

mohsin9975
on August 2, 2011, 0:49 GMT

Absolute idiocy shown by bell which was reciprocated by msd. Der is no question of S.O.T.G out here. Batsmen forgetting rule or just ignoring it is unpardonable. Once batsman crosses boundary ropes how can u recall him. Dis is rule breaking by both teams and the umpire. U dont need to laud msd for upholding the S.O.T.G. Had he been so concernd he wud hav reverted his appeal on the ground itself. It was at strauss nd flowers insistence that he made the decision,that too i think becoz of the seniors in the dressing room. All this was done to keep the ecb happy. Some posters here are comparing this to bhajjis lbw. It is totally different. Bells incident was rare. Bhajjis mode of dismissal hapens every other day for which every nation wants drs.But bccis stupidity cost us dat wicket nd will cost us in both d upcoming tests

chad_reid
on August 1, 2011, 22:24 GMT

SO THIS IS HOW INDIANS TREAT THIER TWO WORLD CUP WINNING CAPTAIN AND WHO TOOK THEM TO NUMBER ONE IN TESTS WHAT A DISGRACE DHONI SHOULD QUIT PLAYING CRICKET IN INDIA AND PLAY IN A COUNTRY THAT GIVES HIM RESPECT JUST PATHETIC, THE INDIANS.

subbass
on August 1, 2011, 22:00 GMT

well, all I know is that if sachin or Dravid or laxman was run out in such a way, there would have been riots, the mere fact the injuns recalled him tells u all u need to know FACT !

kumarcoolbuddy
on August 1, 2011, 19:50 GMT

@GSaagar, this was exactly my question too. Michael Vaughan wantedly accused VVS. This is part of ENG's mind game. Even Ian Botham teased Indians saying "How can India hope to win with deleted side" which he wa trying to put pyschological pressure on Indians and he was afraid that Indians would win second test.

200ondebut
on August 1, 2011, 17:58 GMT

Nothing like the Elliot decision - he tried to get in the fielders way and came off second best. Bell thought the ball had gone for four and was therefore dead. If it wasn't because it was the last ball before tea it would have happened. Anyway, it didn't change the outcome and as a result MSD comes out of the match with credit (which could not be said of Collingwood). Although after what NZ did to Murali I guess they deserved it.

GSaagar
on August 1, 2011, 14:55 GMT

How does Vaughan knows Hot Spot can be cheated by appling vaseline - tried before? - Why accuse greate player like VVS with no proof. I think John Lever in 80's used vaseline before Vs India.

on August 1, 2011, 14:48 GMT

This is not a question of playing in spirits of the game. This is a question of playing with presence of mind. There was no need for Dhoni to entertain any such appeal to recall the batsman. Playing in spirit of game doesnt necessarily mean to compromise on any laws of the game.

on August 1, 2011, 14:46 GMT

Not to belabour this incident(BELL) i would like to tie in this incident with a recent development in cricket. VVS/ANDERSON; clean bowled. VVS is walking off & is stopped by the umpire so that he can check with the 3rd umpire if the del was genuine,how ridiculous. As the on-field ump continue to delegate their duties to technology,plys will cont to question their relevance & authority, hence disrespect comes into play. BELL was simply disrespectful to the umpires. players openly question umps decisions; walk off the field as they like. all these things add up & u get a total breakdown. Over 2 u ICC.

on August 1, 2011, 14:45 GMT

It would have been "sporting" on the part of Bell to accept the fact that HIS act was stupid and he should have decided not to resume his innings after tea. I had tremendous respect for this guy ever since he started playing international cricket but all of it is lost by this one event. Wonder what would have happened if something similar had happened while India were batting (and just to add a bit of masala, Stuart Broad was involved). Not that this would change anything in this Test. The Indian "Team" looks like 11 individuals going in 11 different directions (and Harbhajan Singh looks like he is somewhere else). Wonder what the Indian coach and support staff are doing. Pity many of us (including myself) are paying a hefty sum to watch this series on cable TV.

MENDIS_Forever
on August 1, 2011, 14:42 GMT

@ Rosh1 :- yes..and NZ won that match.but Malinga got the revenge from the NZ batsmen for the sin they did,with thunderous yorkers.SL won the next match easily.

DeBigBri
on August 1, 2011, 14:42 GMT

Funny how the "right" decision was made when it was in favor of England. I recall one BC Lara being "stumped" by a certain English wicket keeper in a most unsportsman-like manner. Lara was careless to stray out of his crease and so had to walk. But the 'keeper kept the ball in his hand for an age waiting for just that to happen. No run was being attempted and the batsman was not beaten by the flight, etc. So "situational ethics" at play once more today.

MENDIS_Forever
on August 1, 2011, 14:35 GMT

When dhoni appealed for the run out English fans Booed at him.When Dhoni withdrew the appeal Indian fans are booing at him.poor Dhoni....hmm .how tough it is to be a captain of Indian team!

shrastogi
on August 1, 2011, 14:23 GMT

Even if Dhoni had made initial appeal for run out he did right What is more pathetic is the way Indian media is painting Dhoni as villian. Sports should be played the hard way but not unfairly. Suddenly after one loss at Lords and another imminent at Nottingham Dhoni has become bad boy. It is not possible for anyone to have 100% record as captain and people like Steve waugh & Ricky Ponting with their invincible teams have lost tests and series. Just because Waugh asked India to follow on at Kolkata and India won the test doesnt mean suddenly he has become bad captain. But this is typical in India. Everyone has forgotten the way he promoted himself in world cup final. The only problem is that he is not in good form with bat.

bali_bali
on August 1, 2011, 13:55 GMT

England can beat India 4-0, but they lost their pride when Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower went to the Indian dressing room to ask MS Dhoni if the run-out decision could be overturned. They can't be Champions.

on August 1, 2011, 13:50 GMT

gud job by msd .........
but when it happens to mathews against england strauss called him back immediatly this is for a reminder for the one who ask about this................

Bytheway
on August 1, 2011, 13:33 GMT

@I.RAGHURAM, You make a valid point. Could the umpires allow Dhoni to withdraw his appeal after Bell had crossed the boundary rope?

on August 1, 2011, 12:56 GMT

A simple look at the rules of the game would show how ignorant was everyone of the law including the umpire. The law clearly states that an appeal can be withdrawn only before the batsmen leaves the ground. Bell left the ground as soon as he was given out. Therefore no one on the field had the authority to re-instate Bell. What happened was against the rules of the games. What is more important the rules or the spirit? Only if the teams also had a lawyer.

on August 1, 2011, 12:46 GMT

People forget one thing. The right decision for the good of the game was made EVENTUALLY; probably due to 2 reasons - the hefty barrage from the Trent Bridge crowd and Flower & Strauss giving the Indians a piece of their mind.

If the Indian team are as sporting as everyone is saying they are then Mukund should not have broken the bails; or if that still happened Dhoni taking his team straight off the field rather than messing around for 15-20 minutes with the umpires out on the field.

I appreciate that Dhoni made the right decision and does deserve the plaudits. One can't help to think that he's done it after realising how it'd look for him and his side rather than making the snap call of "that's a bit underhanded, we have more class than that; let's ignore it and just make it known to Bell what they could have done..."

symsun
on August 1, 2011, 12:45 GMT

Indians showing spirit of cricket to the home of cricket. Englishmen pls learn it. Aussies ur turn next. Get ready.

saadfarrukh1
on August 1, 2011, 12:43 GMT

i have never been a fan of dhoni but this was a good decision.

on August 1, 2011, 12:36 GMT

YOU can only be run out when attempting a run! simple as that.

Toni_Soprano
on August 1, 2011, 12:31 GMT

I have been listening to & reading the various comments made by the Indian fans on this matter. I would like to ask all those who oppose the decision that would you be so quick to jump on the bandwagon if this incident occured with one of your players. Say your "Demi-God" SRT was given out and was clearly unaware that the ball had not gone over the ropes for $ & walked off for the tea break & Prior throws the stumps down. Would you be so quick in saying thats too bad he should have stayed in his crease.
So many times I feel things have happend when the Indian public have gone up in arms over certain decisions not going their way! Its not ok when it happens to you but its ok when none of your players are involved, reeks of double standards to me.
Stop having a go at Dhoni & co for doing the right thing. They should be lauded for making such a gesture......

HaroldLarwood
on August 1, 2011, 12:29 GMT

@Aldrin. Let's not go down the route of discussing sledging when you've got Harbajan and Sreesanth in your team - surely two of the biggest mouths in world cricket. And England's cricketers walking? Do any nation's cricketers walk anymore? Well, apart from Strauss and Pietersen in the last innings...and probably Dravid because he is always class. Finally, from an Englishman's perspective I'd agree and say we're very jealous of India's position as the number one team in the world. We would very much like to be there ourselves. Hopefully after this series. Personally I think India were over-generous in recalling Bell. They did nothing wrong and Bell was stupid. Why should India have to suffer for his idiocy? A sporting gesture for sure; the wrong decision, definitely.

on August 1, 2011, 12:17 GMT

Well done India. I recall run out of VVS Luxman in recent WI tour when he did not play a ball and did not even attempted a run but was made run out. It was also against the spirit of the game.

thurc
on August 1, 2011, 12:11 GMT

dont know why people are making such a fuss out of it be honest, it just seems to be a way for the indian fans to ignore the fact theyre team are being destroyed in a test they were in a position to win easily. the major talking point of yesterday was ian bells brilliant innings and indias shocking bowling.

a mountain is being made of a mole hill on this ian bell innings, if enlgand only win by 20 runs then yes it had an effect but atm it looks like india are going to lose badly

lelouch
on August 1, 2011, 12:04 GMT

pity NZ couldn't pay Sri Lanka the same courtesy.

amit_21
on August 1, 2011, 12:01 GMT

Whilst India no doubt did what's best for the game with a great act of sportsmanship, I have lost all respect for the England side.
They have previously been shown to have exhibited no such sporting grace in the example of the running out of the New Zealand batsman a few years back, but are more than glad to accept an act of compassion from another side.
Ian Bell in his comments since the event clearly knew he was out, and as such the only moral thing to do would have been to walk out to the middle after tea, and just hit his own wicket and dismiss himself upon the first ball he faced.
England would have come out looking far better than they currently do, but alas, England's attitude in the matter just wreaked of selfishness.

landl47
on August 1, 2011, 11:54 GMT

Some commenters on this board think that Strauss should have recalled Harbhajan to the crease after he was given out LBW when he got an inside edge. However, the only way for Strauss to know that was by the use of technology, and the BCCI has insisted, against the wishes of the ECB, that technology should not be used to determine LBW decisions in this series. Strauss was therefore unable to recall Harbhajan no matter how much he wanted to. The BCCI decision means that no-one, not the umpires and certainly not the fielding captain, can look at a replay of the incident and make a decision based on what the replay shows. It's nothing to do with the spirit of the game, it was a conscious decision on the part of the BCCI as to under what rules the series should be played. Personally, I think the BCCI was wrong and Harbhajan should have been saved by the replay, but there was nothing Strauss could do about it.

prashu.rp
on August 1, 2011, 11:37 GMT

I dont see Asad Rauf signalling a boundary or tea. Bell saw Praveen Kumar's reaction and assumed that it was a boundary. But Bell should be knowing his basics. The ball was in play. Bell was out and that is what was declared. If Bell and the rest of the England team were mad about it, so be it. It was carelessness from Bell and it cost him his wicket. MS Dhoni was right in appealing because he was very much aware of the situation. And the umpires were right in giving him out. What happened next is purely in interest of Cricket and keeping up the right spirit. MSD - excellent job. Wether it would have changed the course of the game or not, not likely but cannot rule out the possibility either. England and the rest of the teams should learn from what India has done and get back to the game of cricket.

on August 1, 2011, 11:23 GMT

I agree with Sean Kelly that Bell was out and should have stayed out. Making a mistake is not acceptable for a reversal of the decision. If you are caught out you cannot say you made a mistake by playing the wrong shot.
I also dislike the shocking booing by the crowd.
I also object to Sean Kelly calling the English poms which is offensive and insulting.

on August 1, 2011, 11:03 GMT

great decisoin msd u have prevented a major contreversy and have gicen a strong message to all cricket teams around the world but i have had to make a choice bell would have been sitting in the dreesing room becouse laws of the game are there where does spirit come in and why should india always do the spirit thing eng would never have reversed all og them knew harbhajjan hade knicked they dint call him back but i think ms did the right thing

on August 1, 2011, 10:40 GMT

i dont understand why Dhoni reinstated Ian Bell. he was clearly out. So what if the crowd Boos. its cricket not Netball. Strangely enough i didnt see Strauss calling back Harbhajan when he was given out LBW for an inside edge! Is this the same Dhoni who only a few weeks earlier when asked if Ravi Rampaul could bowl in the Indians second innings after being ill for two days said he has no problem but directed the WI to the umpires who we all know will stick to the letter ot the law. Was that in the spirit of the game? ans who gives the English team the right to ask India to overturn their decision? England is obsessed with becoming number one! the real question should be If England is playing in the spirit of the game?

ali00
on August 1, 2011, 10:30 GMT

a good decision and im pleased with his curiosity and very well decision by the Indian Captain

AlanHarrison
on August 1, 2011, 10:17 GMT

I do not agree with those who are suggesting part of the blame should rest with the umpires here for not calling "dead ball" earlier. Although it was unclear whether Praveen had stopped the ball touching the boundary, the umpires can only call for a video review of that once the ball is dead and returned to the stumps; otherwise in the intervening period batters are within their rights to continue running (and there could be overthrows, etc). The umpires conducted their roles well. The mistake was made by Ian Bell in assuming that the ball was dead and that over, time had been called when clearly it was not.

on August 1, 2011, 10:09 GMT

Well done Rahul, Dhoni and the Indian Team. Nevertheless, it was silly of Strauss and his side to walk up to the Indian Team to request them to withdraw their appeal.

Well, hope we get to see some good and competitive cricket. May the best side win!

on August 1, 2011, 10:07 GMT

Test series in England can't operate with controversy can they??. We awake from a night's sleep in New Zealand to find woeful umpiring contributes excessively to England taking the Ashes a couple of seasons back ; controversies last English summer ; and now the highly unprofessional Ian Bell expecting a reprieve from an act of monumental stupidity.
There is a heap of precedent as to why this situation is entirely Ian Bell's fault and he should have been out (permanently). Murali did much the same against New Zealand and there have been many others.
Why is it that Poms childishly expect a second chance when they do something really stupid. ??
Very generous of MS Dhoni - perhaos too generous.
Lets hope Laxman and Tendulkar score big hundreds as India cruise to a win over the next day or so. Justice will be done in such circumstances.

AlanHarrison
on August 1, 2011, 9:59 GMT

@Raj0510 I do agree that Bell was extremely lucky to be reinstated. I also found one of the interesting things about this incident is that the decision to retract the appeal appears to have been made not just by Dhoni, but all 11 of the Indian players. One has to wonder if there would been similarly unanimity in the England team if roles had been reversed, and ironically, in view of his reluctance to walk in the recent Ashes series, one suspects Bell would have been one of those more reluctant to withdraw such an appeal. However, I think there are other recent examples of good adherence to the spirit of the game from other teams as well, e.g., Gilchrist walking in the 2003 world cup semi-final.

anver777
on August 1, 2011, 9:53 GMT

A tough but the right decision taken by Dhoni & its good for overall cricket.........
yet another fair play award for "CSK" Dhoni ?????

sean_kelly
on August 1, 2011, 9:44 GMT

I find this outrage from the Poms ridiculous ! Bell has admitted that he did not hear "Over." but still left his crease. Morgan sent him back. The ball was live. He got run out. Why on earth were the Poms allowed to appeal this to the Indians?

Stupidity and/or a lack of understanding of the laws is unfortunately not an excuse.

on August 1, 2011, 9:40 GMT

@Saif Rehman

It wasn't Kapil Dev and actually Krishnamachari Srikkanth

on August 1, 2011, 9:37 GMT

It was a very good gesture by the Indian team to re-call Ian Bell by withdrawing the appeal. Even if England manage to win this test, the true sportsmanship shown by the Indian Team will be remembered for the years to come.

Sri1967
on August 1, 2011, 9:36 GMT

at last Dhoni had realized what is Spirit of the game...@Raj0510 - buddy, tell me when MS had commented good things about opposing team? have u heard his post match interview in WC....did he comment anything about the finalists, other teams? no.....he is given too much of importance which he doesn't deserve...look at Dravid, Laxman, Sachin.....great legends for the game....MS is just have the luck but nothing else...the other boys perform but he get the credit..

on August 1, 2011, 9:35 GMT

My heart goes out to congatulate Dhoni, who has expressed himself as a real statesman of sports. He fully deserves to be commended for his best sportsmanship. It is a victoy for Dhoni and Cricket. I have been an ardent admirer of Dhoni ever since he took over the mantle of India and Chennai Super Kings. No captain in the world has the cool, calm and good behaviour on and off the field like Dhoni. I once again wish to express my heartiest congratulations to Dhoni.

h00t
on August 1, 2011, 9:34 GMT

Jesus, Lucky Collingwood wasn't in charge, i recall an incident where he appealed against Grant Elliott producing a runout that shouldn't have been. I also recall NZ won that match :)

on August 1, 2011, 9:30 GMT

Indians are shown true spirit for gentle mans game.... But Michael Vaughan commented laxman that he applied Vasiline Gel to his bat to avoid Hot spot

arunkiran
on August 1, 2011, 9:30 GMT

i think dis is da worst decision taken by dhoni it is bells carelessness remember laxman wicketin wi series 3rd test i think dhoni has shown no intent to win de game and let england go on to win i am an indian and i say dat england gonna win de series 2-1 and v all indians want to drop harbhajan surely not only in de series but also in past 3years i think past dhoni has one thing called captaincy now dats also gone

Bueller
on August 1, 2011, 9:29 GMT

A sporting if not deserving decision by Dhoni to recall Bell who was legitimately out. It's a shame England and in particular Collingwood (who was captain at the time) were not as big and fair as India when they ran out Grant Elliott (NZ) in such a unsporting manner two years ago in a ODI. Even when asked by the umpires if he wanted to retract his appeal, he declined. NZ deservedly went on to win the game and Collingwoods character was tarnished thereafter.

khurramsch
on August 1, 2011, 9:28 GMT

all peopele who are comparing this with other things like lbw, edges etc this is not the same as that . coz lbw aor edges are part of daily routine with umpires fault. and 2nd those things hapen in middle of game u only get 1/2 mins for that . in this case 20 mins break help. even in this case when while leaving field umpires asked dhoni is he going to withdraw he said no so if there was next ball to bowl then it will not hapen. but hre 20 mins break helped dhoni to talk with team, managment etc.even at most said at first thts ok or not but after few mins when whole picture came in indias apeal seems right.

scritty
on August 1, 2011, 9:28 GMT

Once it was clear the fielder thought it had gone for four it should have been "dead ball" and TV review. PK clearly thought it was a four, Umpire was handing back sweaters and made a hand gesture..a low sweep with his right hand. Over here that body language means "the end". Bell did not attempt to make his ground at the none strikers end (he touched gloves with Morgan outside the crease)
This has happened several times before in tests (Kalicharan, Haynes, Dev, Greatbatch). Every time the batsman was recalled or given not out. The one time it wasn't was Dean Jones in the West Indies. Curtley Ambrose has since said he thinks it was one of the biggest regrets in his career, not something he wants to be remembered for. MS Dhoni does not want to be remembered as "the guy who ran out the batsman walking off for tea"..and thankfully he won't be. It cost 22 runs for goodness sake. England are going to win this test by 200+...more if they don't declare.

on August 1, 2011, 9:24 GMT

MS Dhoni and his team mates made a right decision in the spirit of game, but let me remind you Murlitharan was given run out when Sangakkara completed 100 runs. Murlitharan went to Sangakkara to congratulate him. The ball was not dead yet. New Zealander throw the ball from boundry line to get Murlitharan out. He was given out by the Umpire. That was also umpire decision. Umpire decision must STAND STILL. If anybody against me then why not Harbhajan Singh LBW decision turn over.

Reversespeak
on August 1, 2011, 9:17 GMT

I think cricket has over the last 2 decades got confused between spirit and laws of the game. We tend to view the spirit of this game based on our convenience. If we are on the winning side and get harmed by an incident then we tend to rake up the tradition of the game and how it has always been a gentleman's game but if we are on the losing side then we tend to take shelter under the laws of the game. I believe that the spirit of the game is what the spirit is today and not what it traditionally was, thats dead and gone a long time back. Look at teams sledging each other these days and most consider it acceptable as it adds to the fizz and is commercially saleable, there are insinuations and allegations of all kinds that have led to cricket becoming as infamous, well almost, as some of the other team sports. Yesterday's incident as also Vaughn's insinuation and Broad checking Laxman's bat for vaseline have lowered the game yet another notch.

55ashok
on August 1, 2011, 9:11 GMT

I think a lot has been told about the "Spirit of cricket" following the bizarre run out of Ian Bell. Just let us take a breath and look at some incidents involving those who are not from the Sub-Continent.

1 Ian Bell's decision LBW incident during the World Cup. The decision was within the existing Laws of cricket - but was it in the spirit of the Game?

2 The entire incident of the infamous Sydney Test - where neither Clark walked as well the Australian cricketers claimed catches that they very well knew were not clean.

3 The famous Oval test when Pakistan forfeited the test. Why did the England Captain then step in for the sake of the spirit of the game?

The question I would like to ask ICC as well as ECB, CA, Ponting and Strauss - where was the spirit of the game then? Is it that it is only applicable when players from the Sub-Continent are involved and not applicable from those from the western world?

masump4
on August 1, 2011, 9:09 GMT

Cricket is always a gentle game and MS Dhoni prove it yesterday once again. I personally thanked dhoni for his remarkeble decision. if british win this game they should oblige to Indian cricket team.

crocker
on August 1, 2011, 9:09 GMT

so, everybody had intoxicating tea and upheld the SPIRIT of the game. as they say - rules are made to be broken. rules of game do not apply to silly players?

khurramsch
on August 1, 2011, 9:08 GMT

yes a great gesture from dhoni but spirt og game has taken over rules of game. spirit of game looks better on the decisions when a fielder collide with batsman thats fine. but this time clearly bell was being cheeky & he looked back but then moved fwd. morgan stayed in crease.so bell was confirmed wrong there. it was not that case when there is no fault of batsman. india didnt do anything wrong. yes its a good decision & good gesture but where are the rules of game? if u talk about crowd when we first saw it i thought thats wrong that indian apealed but when all info passed india appeal was justified and correct.

on August 1, 2011, 9:03 GMT

#proudtobeanindian we can do anything to save cricket

I.RAGHURAM
on August 1, 2011, 9:03 GMT

Let' keep the spirit of the game and the mistake done by Bell on one side and decide whether the Captain (Dhoni in this case) has the right to withdraw an appeal. Does Cricketing law allow the same ???? Agreed in case of wrong decision by an umpire, the opposit captain can withdraw the appeal. There have been many instances earlier.... However, in this case, the appeal was right & the decision of the umpire was correct as per cricketing law (as per replay shown, the ball had not crossed the boundry / the umpire had not called 'Over' / Bell was out of the crease). I would like to know, under which cricketing law, the umpires agreed to reverse their decision based on Dhoni's request.

on August 1, 2011, 9:02 GMT

England are quick to ask for gentleman's decisions it seems but messrs Strauss and Collingwood are less inclined to be so generous towards their opposition.

smoothoperator23
on August 1, 2011, 9:00 GMT

It is being suggested that the decision to call back Ian Bell was almost inconsequential and only helped cricket's spirit.Well I completely disagree. If the Indian team had been persistent & not withdrawn the appeal. One of two things would have happened. Either the Indian team with its inner discomfiture & ill-informed crowd booing(it was an absolute disgrace) would have lost the concentration and the plot(which they did anyway). Or the England batsman with a feeling of false indignation(considering some of their past behaviour) would have been overtly aggressive and possibly thrown their wickets away. So it all boils down only to a small matter of World's no. 1 Test team and losing a series.

on August 1, 2011, 8:57 GMT

Dhoni will go down in the history as one of the best captains cricket have ever seen.

PRUD BE AN INDIAN CRICKET FAN

multipack
on August 1, 2011, 8:54 GMT

As an Indian I was disappointed at the original appeal and glad it was eventually withdrawn. However I'd like to express disappointment at the way England conducted themselves. Bell clearly claimed the umpire had called "over" as he walked off, so why has he not been asked about lying? And how does Strauss shaking his head violently and giving filthy looks to the Indians sit with "the spirit of cricket"? And how on earth did Strauss and Flower have the front to knock on the Indian dressing room door when only yesterday England players were calling Laxman a cheat and inspecting his bat for vaseline? Is the spirit of cricket a term which only England can define?

Christopher_A
on August 1, 2011, 8:51 GMT

I think the inside edge of HS against SB is different- he'd have had an option to appeal had his own team not refused it pre-series. Still wonder why we couldn't have had appeals for inside edges via technology already being used in the series even without Hawkeye?

on August 1, 2011, 8:50 GMT

For all those who are applauding Dhoni for this decision, I doubt he was the real soul behind this benchmark of spirit of the game, if so he would have done taken back his appeal on the field itself. I think it has to be the collective effort of three of the best gentlemen this game has ever seen

on August 1, 2011, 8:50 GMT

let me add more spice to this conversation about mathews calling back and bell was called back yesday.......
Ther is lot of diff. b\w the two situations 1. when mathews was been called back england was in the edge of clearly winning tht match ... ( and u cnt compair mathews and bell ...,As bell is a gud test batsem than mathews) 2.c were india was at tht situation.they r lossing and bell was the main batsem tht day who was almost playing run a ball in test cicket and appeared very dancerous

after rewinding both the situations any caption in the world calls mathews back at that situations (WHIcH BRING LOT OF FAME FOR HIM AND REMAINS IN HISTORY ) ... but look at india situation, dey wer loosing tht match and dhoni had taking at brave decision ...i apprecate dhoni for his decision ....,

SPIRIT OF THE GAME SHOULD BE CHECKED WITH THE SITUATION

AND MONTY SHOULD NT BALL TO SACHIN IN NETS, IS THAT SPIRIT OF THE GAME

on August 1, 2011, 8:47 GMT

@ _Pog_ Get your facts right..As per Law 38.2 (e) (i) a batsman is not out if no ball has been called AND he is out of crease not attempting a run...so ur comment is true only if the bowl is no ball

Aldrin
on August 1, 2011, 8:46 GMT

You English fans.. answer this...
Will Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower ask James Anderson to not sledge the India batsmen now? Will the England batsmen walk? Will the England batsmen not stand their ground any more when India fielders claim catches? Will the crowd at Trent Bridge boo Kevin Pietersen if he sledges Yuvraj Singh from gully?
You English people are jealous just coz Inda is in the top spot...

SRT_thebest
on August 1, 2011, 8:46 GMT

@Saif Rehman I Think Raj0510 was talking about today's teams not earlier ones who played atleast with bit of as every one puts it "Spirit of the game". But if we take the current teams no other team would have done it bear india. England definitly is the last team{along with australia} who play with the "Spirit of the game".

chapathishot
on August 1, 2011, 8:44 GMT

Do any one Remember SRT runout in Asian Test Championship when his bat was in the crease but collided with Shoib and was given out when the bat bat was not grounded because of collision .He was not recalled by Wasim ,whom I think was a very good captain also.

Spirit.of.Cricket
on August 1, 2011, 8:37 GMT

Ater Bhajji's out and claims of broad's hat-trick and yesterday's unsporting actions by Bell, Strauss and Flower.
I say England has no rights to talk about sportsmanship and mumming about DRS system. I guess in this series England is the one who benefited of not having DRS. Sometimes Indians are trying to be too clever. Who the heck cares if English people like or dislike about some decisions made within the law of the game. I suppose Indians should behave bit rude, if they want to win the game.
I guess England should shut up now and mind their business and be like a gentleman instead of blaming and mourning.
It's not about actual game they are worried about. They still treating the India as third class country and they can't digest that ICC is caring India. They don't have right to speak as a country which didn't even win the world cup once.

on August 1, 2011, 8:35 GMT

If Dhoni had not overturned this decision, he would have face a lot of criticism and embarrasment, he has done nothing special but he has just avoided criticism and embarrasment

on August 1, 2011, 8:32 GMT

@ _pog_, the fact that they had already completed three runs means they were attempting a run. So the subsection of law 38 you quoted doesn't apply. Anyway, what really incensed me about this whole episode was Bell commenting on the spirit of the game. If I had to pick three cricketers who had little or no freeness of speech on that issue, they would be Ponting, Harbajan and Bell.

on August 1, 2011, 8:25 GMT

My only question: Why didnt the English recall Harbhajan in the first innings when he had a clear inside edge????

Where is the sportsman spirit now?????

Tatsache
on August 1, 2011, 8:21 GMT

Spirit of the game means..it should be runout ..! comon dhoni ...its strange dicision...!everybody can see clearly its runout because of bell mistake...!

CricEshwar
on August 1, 2011, 8:20 GMT

The knee jerk reaction from Dhoni to stand on Bell's initial decision is absolutely correct. He was out of the crease, he was given out. Don't tell Bell didn't know the rules while playing International Cricket. What is sportsmanship when Bell and whole of England are cribbing about him given out when he was out. Dhoni understands what kind of crisis could be brought by mob view and ignorants, as happened in Calcutta with Sachin against Pakistan. I am not implying that Bell has that kind of following or England followers will resort to that, there are always similar kind of people wherever it may be, they just react the way they are used to.

on August 1, 2011, 8:17 GMT

The spirit of the law is supreme and it should stay that way. In 1989, during a ODI in Pak, the then Indian captain Srikant edged Waqar to he keeper and was given out. He was reluctantly leaving the ground when Pak captain Imran called him back. He was out in the same fashion the very next ball! During the same series, Salil Ankola tangled with the boundary rope while stopping a Saeed Anwar shot. Thinking its a boundary, Anwar walked back slowly only to be run out?! Nobody called Anwar back, those were pre third umpire days. 10 years later Tendulkar collided with Shoaib Akhter and was run out in a test match. The crowd protested and the game had to be stopped. Every Indian ex-cricketer suggested that Wasim Akram should have withdrawn his appeal in the spirit of the game. Wasim did not being well within the laws of the game. Now the same generation is criticizing Dhoni and Dravid for withdrawing the appeal and saving the game from disgrace. Double standards anyone?

on August 1, 2011, 8:03 GMT

morgan & bell should speak out of their heart about this incident.I think morgan was trying to protect his wicket by dragging the bat into the crease on the non strikers end after the third run was taken,(pls watch tat footage).the fans cheered as if it was a boundary when pk tried to save it,this could have made pk to think that it was a boundary,it was a total absence of mind by both the fielder and batsmen,dhoni has got many cricket fans by taking bold decision,

on August 1, 2011, 7:59 GMT

@ESPNCRICINFO, PLEASE ADD FB LIKE BUTTONS TO EVERY COMMENTS.. SOME PEOPLE HAS WRITTEN GOOD COMMENTS AND THAT HAS TO BE APPRECIATED AS WELL.

ALSO MAKE THE TOP LIKED COMMENTS VISIBLE AT THE TOP..JUST LIKE YOUTUBE.COM

on August 1, 2011, 7:54 GMT

DHONI has done nothing wrong by recalling Ian bell after beggars (Strauss and flower) went to Indian dressing room to beg bell's wicket.
we r from the country of DANVIR KARNA, how can we deny to give something to beggars who come to our door.

cardassian
on August 1, 2011, 7:53 GMT

Good to see the spirit of the game alive and kicking.
Think his was the right decision and one that all good captains would make.
To all the haters, you're meant to do this in kind of thing in cricket we've all had our team do it and we've had success and failure as a result.
To the people saying only Sachin and Gilchrist would do this you're wrong.
Dhoni did it for a start, have seen Vettori do it too.
Gilchrist constantly appeals for catches and stumpings that are not out, just because he walks when batting doesn't mean he only claims fair dismissals when in the feild.

on August 1, 2011, 7:46 GMT

Indian Cricket is great indeed! Outstanding performance of "Cricket Gamesmanship" by M.S.Dhoni and his team and also the India team management in recalling Ian Bell after bizarre run-out!! Cricket is a Gentleman's game and India has played in the "True Spirit" of the game!! I end up my comments quoting ICC Chief Executive Mr.Haroon Lorgat. The withdrawal of appeal showed great maturity on the part of India. "The initial appeal and umpire decision may have been acceptable to the letter of the law, the decision by India team captain M.S.Dhoni and his team - as well as the Team India coaching staff - to withdraw the appeal shows great maturity. To see players and officiials uphold the great spirit of Cricket - which has underpinned the game for more than a century, is very special." I wish to add, that the game of Cricket is the Winner!!!

5why
on August 1, 2011, 7:45 GMT

Let us examine who amongst the television commentators had the same conviction as Dhoni. Not Ravi Shastri, not Sunil Gavaskar, not Wasim Akhtar, but only Saurav Ganguly. Well before we saw Bell come out to bat after the tea interval, Saurav had said that Bell should not have been given out, as there was no intention to run the fourth run. One could see the disbelief in the eyes of Harsha Bhogle when Saurav stated this. But then, ONLY THESE TWO STAND OUT AS THE MOST OUTSTANDING LEADERS IN INDIAN CRICKET!
No prizes for guessing , why ?

gopakumar85
on August 1, 2011, 7:37 GMT

well it looks roscy and beautiful now to see after the decision was with held by msd and indian team. i wonder what andrew strauss would have done in such a situation and if the batsman is some one like rahul dravid or a sachin tendulkar i am preitty sure cross his heart strauss would have gone by the law of the game and he would give a damn to the spirit of the game after all u can let a player like sachin or rahul get away with it isint it. with yesterdays act msd has showed we indains are proud to be the number 1 team we play hard and fair now its the rest of the world to demonstrate the same. honestly msd dont realy india is a number 1 team i bet it it.

on August 1, 2011, 7:35 GMT

will vaughan apologize for what he said about VVS laxman, is that only Indians have to play withing the spirit of the game not Aussies who is taking bumped catches and broad accused VVS Laxman decision on hot spot was CHEEKY ?? what is cheeky ?? whether he will take back his word ??? I am happy that we play within SPIRIT, but will it be reciprocated?? NO.SURELY NOT

B.C.G
on August 1, 2011, 7:35 GMT

Bell only added 22 more runs.Whats the big deal!!!!!Oh yeah India were mentally disintegrated by this shocking,revolting,crucifying reversal.Now we have a new excuse for the upcomimg defeat...........

on August 1, 2011, 7:33 GMT

@Raj0510 Boy i think you have forgot about Imran Khan and Kapil Dave. When Kipal was out on first ball and he was mourning about his bad luck was recalled and he was out on very next ball again.

9ST9
on August 1, 2011, 7:31 GMT

@Thusanthan Dharmalingam - the biased nature of the younger of the 2 commentators you mentioned is well known. In 1997 when Jayasuriya and Mahanama had scored the then record partnership, The SL cricket board gifted them a house. In the post match interview this particular commentator was quick to ask if they were planing to give rooms in the house for the umpires, implying that the umpires helped them achieve the feat. This just goes on to show how 'sporty' he is.

on August 1, 2011, 7:31 GMT

@ UndergroundMan
thats what the whole point is man. why did bell do that before the ball was called dead. its fair from indian side to appeal because he shud b not leaving the crease till umpire tellsits the time. k

Karthik_Runja
on August 1, 2011, 7:30 GMT

Am really Proud for the decision made by MS DHONI this justifies the Maturity, Sporting Spirit and More over the Title 'World Champions'. Good Luck India Keep Going....:)

rahulcricindia
on August 1, 2011, 7:27 GMT

well england team may become no.1 after this series but for the time being as in some time they have to come to india for the test later this year...and they
better be prepared for our conditions and pitches otherwise this ranking may quickly go other way round...that that will be more embarrassing for england for
holding it for just few months...that is why i always fell to be complete no1 team in the world you have to beat each country in their home turf..if india is
not undisputed no.1 team of the world england to does not deserve this title until and unless they beat us in our home turf..in few months time..enjoy till
then!!!!!!

guru1323
on August 1, 2011, 7:17 GMT

Great decision by India..i wonder that it was the trio of grand oldmen of India behind this benchmark for spirit of the game...It might have cost India this match and may be the no 1 ranking as clearly India lost all the focus after this incident…. But I just wonder whether England would have done the same or for that matter whether any team would have done it….Bell's first reaction was : "He called over", while sky sports broadcast clearly shows that umpire did not call over until bails were dislodged…. Was he lying there?

on August 1, 2011, 7:13 GMT

It will be interesting to see if India loses this game by 22 runs / less. These are the runs scored by Bell after the drama. Cricinfo will have headlines "India loses in the spirit of the Game". Full credits to Dhoni here..This has happened exactly opposite, if we remember Murali being given runout, when he walked back to congratulate Sanga in the match against Kiwis. The situation here is more supporting to India here, when compared with that of Kiwis. It was 100% batsman's mistake that he stayed out of crease even before the over was called/the boundary was called. Dhoni giving Bell the second chance, clearly shows his sportsmanship.

subraasiva
on August 1, 2011, 7:12 GMT

Once a batsmen is given out its out.....How can a captain and a coach can go and ask a team to reverse the decision during the tea break......If it had not been a tea break strauss could have not asked dhoni....Only Indian team played with the right spirit and not England........

on August 1, 2011, 7:11 GMT

MS Dhoni has done what a matured captain would do in this situation. We should also appreciate other indian players who strongly & unanimously supported this decision from their captain.

It does not matter whether we loose this test, series or No 1 status. But, what matters is the way we play the game in its true spirit.

I also appreciate Strauss & Flower who knocked the door of opponent's dressing room for the cause of their own teammate.

Well done teams. Keep up the spirit

Cheers

kripscric
on August 1, 2011, 7:06 GMT

Is the "Spirit of cricket" only for India?????? Bell feels According to the law he was out......... Then why did he come out to bat??????
In this case the only way both teams to keep up the "SPRIT OF CRICKET" is.. Just like Dhoni did "Recalling Bell back" & inturn Bell should have denied it & the decision must have gone back to match referee. The referee & the umpires should have taken the decision.

on August 1, 2011, 7:06 GMT

Cricket is a game of presence of mind. The man who keeps the ball in his hands should be more cognizant that what to do. Batsman also required the same ability. But in this case no one should be blamed. It is a brighter example of sportsman spirit which had shown by MS Dhoni. But. . .. . . . . . . Ian Bell and the English captain should not go to the Indian dressing room to urge Dhoni to revert or exclaim the run out decision. . . . . We can say "a brighter one for Dhoni & a darker one for the English men"

heathrf1974
on August 1, 2011, 7:02 GMT

Bell was very lucky. He was given a reprieve due to public disapproval. However, the umpire indecision contributed. Fortunately for India he didn'y score too many runs after that. Some people talk in the spirit of the game but this is test cricket and professional standards need to be high, such as making sure you're in your creae until the ball is dead.

5why
on August 1, 2011, 7:02 GMT

Cricket is a simple game. Either you are right or you are not. Dhoni was wrong in the first place in making a half hearted appeal. No player even noticed the appeal. All this was taking place in a part of the field which was already having tea in its mind. Then Dhoni had an opportunity to correct the wrong. He did. That's that.

Ninety nine wrongs do not make one right. Dhoni's was one.

on August 1, 2011, 6:57 GMT

"The batsmen, having taken the third, appeared to be unsure whether the ball had reached the boundary. Morgan held up his arm to Bell, who jogged halfway down the pitch and then continued walking down." - well, we were all watching it. Bell continued jogging after completing the third run, that is the most important thing. He then saw Morgan was not backing up, stopped jogging, and it appeared to me that he looked back and may have realized it is unable to get back and continued walking towards Morgan. "The throw from Praveen eventually came in to Abhinav Mukund, who took off the bails and appealed for a run-out. By that time, Bell had punched gloves with his partner and was heading towards the pavilion." Please note that the umpire Asad Rauf didn't signal boundary or tea, his body language showed otherwise, and didn't give the blazer to Sharma. So how anyone who has been playing the game for so long could be "heading towards the pavilion"?

lelepopo
on August 1, 2011, 6:56 GMT

Ravi Shastri don't even now how to gently pass out comments and he always talks about gentle man game. If he was a responsible person then he should talk about cricket not criticizing players every time which he does all the time. Talking about Gentle Man game errors are made from every one and from every side rather it is Harbajhan Slapping Sreesanth. Or Nehra Slang and abuse Dhoni. It is the commentators who conduct these situation they are representative of the game of cricket with the help of their words. Then they should comment like a gentle man.

teletnt
on August 1, 2011, 6:56 GMT

@_Pog_ As a fully qualified umpire I must inform you that it was NOT an umpiring mistake and that the Indians were well within their rights to appeal. In interpreting Law 38.2 the umpire shall regard the act of running as commencing from the moment the batsman FIRST sets off for a run. Law 18.1(a) states, "A run is scored so often as the batsmen, at any time WHILE THE BALL IS IN PLAY, have crossed and MADE GOOD THEIR GROUND FROM END TO END." The fact that the umpires have not signalled a boundary means the ball remains in play and in theory the batsmen can run until the ball becomes dead (Law 23) since boundary four and boundary six are not the maximum number of runs that can be scored off of a single delivery. This was a case of a captain (Dhoni) observing the spirit of the match and of the game itself. Additionally until "Over and Time" is caled by the umpire no player has the right to leave the field of play.

on August 1, 2011, 6:54 GMT

We all saw umpire Asad Rauf wandering without giving back the blazer and hat to Ishant Sharma. by the time Bell reached Morgan, umpire Erasmus also joined Mr. Rauf. Bell might have understood his folly by then, and without waiting for the umpire to decide they started walking back to the pavilion. So I don't think there is anythng wrong as per laws of cricket to adjudge Ian Ball run out. But it is a great jesture from the Indian side to repeal the appeal even after the ungentlemanly vaseline allegation.

on August 1, 2011, 6:54 GMT

That was a very stupid decision by Dhoni... surely Dhoni's stupidity will cost India the match.. .even Morgan raised his arms,asking him to wait but Bell kept going on,pretending that he was heading towards the dressing room... clearly his first intentions was to take the 4th run..
forget abt it wot hppnd to crowd nd england team when Harbajan got a big inside egde at the lbw???
where was the sportsmanship when strauss refused smith a runner or when collingwood made the decisionfor elliot run out appeal to stay...??????

Marcio
on August 1, 2011, 6:52 GMT

re. the facebook poster who mentioned the reaction of Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar. I'm afraid their reactions are all too predictable, and they are serial offenders during this kind of stuff: more like petulant children than adults. Gavaskar and Shastri literally started slamming things around on the TV studio when they discussed how they thought the AUS media was unfair to India on the last tour their. Dhoni did the right thing this time, and full credit to him. And we don't need to look back 30 years to Toni Grieg and Kalicharan to see similar acts of grace from captains. Ricky Ponting had every right to say no when Laxman used a runner in both innings of the 1st test against AUS recently, when he came into the game with an injury. Ponting and the AUS team bit their lips, even when Laxman won the game for IND scoring 60 runs to help IND to a 1 wkt win. Nor did the Indian media or fans acknowledge the act of grace, booing Ponting when he came to bat in the 2nd test.

ACHILLES_FZX
on August 1, 2011, 6:52 GMT

@_Pog_ Could you answer then why was murli given out even though he was just going to congratulate sanga for completing his century against newzealand

cenitin
on August 1, 2011, 6:50 GMT

My personal view about this incident that even you consider spirit of game Bell was out as he was attempting for 4 th run and then stopped midway as he thought it is a boundry (4). If he was just step out from crease for going to pavilion and not for 4th run then it was justified to recall him. But still I am very happy and proud of not only MSD but whole team think tank to recall the Bell. But the first thing I am feeling bad is even after recalling back Bell mentioned in his inteview after completion of 3rd day that he was not attempting for 4th run and that was not the case. Second thing many Eng fans like 5wombats saying that Bell only added 20-25 runs so that won't make any impact. My point is if that is the case why strauss and andy went to Indian team in the tea break to reverse the decision. Eng fans give the credit wherever its due and When Indian team took this decision of recalling no body at that time know how much more runs Bell is going to add. Not even Bell himself.

on August 1, 2011, 6:45 GMT

well done dhoni.. indians n d whole world will b proud of u

Ramz2020
on August 1, 2011, 6:44 GMT

Salutes to Dhoni,,,,,, though lot of Indian fans will not like this reverse decision, Dhoni & Co proved that cricket is a gentleman game.....

yes, this is what had to be done, they did it....... well done

on August 1, 2011, 6:39 GMT

I agree with the school of thought that feels that the right result was achieved in the end and applaud the Indian team for making that decision. What I cannot understand though, as a former cricket administrator, is why the ground authority at Trent Bridge did not make a public announcement regarding the decision reached by India, as this would have diffused the situation when the umpires and the Indain team came back onto the field after tea to boos and catcalls! Surely, it would have been better to have extended the tea interval slightly to enable such an announcement to be made? I admire the dignity with which both the umpires and Indian showed when returning to the field after the break, but fell strongly that this could and should have been better handled by the ground authority. Ian

on August 1, 2011, 6:34 GMT

If one has seen the TV replays clearly,then Bell halted after the third run..He took time to turn around and then started running to the pavilion.By this time Asad Raut had returned the sweater to Ishant which might have led Bell to think it was tea.Although Bell was technically out,Dhoni did a brilliant thing in withdrawing the appeal.
Coming to Shastri and Gavaskar,they are the most biased commentators in cricket today and sooner the broadcasters get rid of them yhe better it will be for cricket fans across the world.Going by Gavaskar's logic that Harbhajan was not recalled,then why did Sachin and Raina not walk in the earlier test when the giant screen showed them to be plumb lbw.

on August 1, 2011, 6:34 GMT

Bell shouldn't have come back even after appeal was called back...Goes on to show the difference between Indian team and the English. Sachin walks off by himself when he knows he is out. We Indians win games by our own talent and not psychological games! As for Number one team position, the game ain't over yet.. We might draw last two games or even win them because Sehwag,Zaheer nad Gambhir will return.But as of now.. I'm proud to say that I'm an Indian and support my Indian team!:)

spiritwithin
on August 1, 2011, 6:29 GMT

@_Pog_ ....from where did u get the idea that Bell was not attempting a run ??he's clearly stopped by Morgan who waived his bat to stay him at the crease,if the ball is not dead its clealy within law to claim the wicket and bell stopped running after he's halfway down the pitch and then acted as if he was going out of the ground for Tea Break...check all the comments by cricket experts nobody called the run out as not out...come out of ur delusion

on August 1, 2011, 6:28 GMT

@_Pog_, that law only applies when it is a no ball and no runs at all are attempted - specifically, you can't be stumped off a no ball unless attempting a run or another fielder puts the wicket down.

on August 1, 2011, 6:26 GMT

Others would have pointed out to the law, by which Bell was out. Surprised to see that people are thinking Indians should not have appealed. It was Bell's mistake to think it was a four. Consider, there was no tea break and he thought it is a four and ran half the pitch. Wouldn't he been given out? You cannot make mistakes and expect the opponents to follow the spirit of the game.

noush
on August 1, 2011, 6:25 GMT

In the first place England has to admitt it was an 'out'. If Bell thought it was a boundary then it's his mistake. Telling 'went for the tea break thinking it was a four' is utter stupidity. If the umpire had to declare tea break, first he had to declare it was a 'four' then call 'over' and finally the 'tea break'. The umpire even did not declare it was a four how any of them think its tea break and went to pavilion. On the other hand India did a good thing (England should really appreciate this becuase legally Bell was out and India had the chance to come back in the game) by calling him back as the wicket was taken not on merit but by a misunderstanding in the side of batsman. Good thing happened!

on August 1, 2011, 6:22 GMT

english people talkin abt spirit of game n commenting on india.gaiz check dis out
Steve Harmison appeals for a run out, Inzamam-ul-Haq takes evasion action - but is given out, Pakistan v England, 2nd Test, Faisalabad, November 21, 2005

tjsimonsen
on August 1, 2011, 6:20 GMT

@Raj0510 and others who claims that England wouldn't have withdrawn an appeal in a similar situation. Well, as has already been pointed: they have done so already in the recent past! And I for one don't belive that Strauss would have even appealed in a situation like the one today. It was very refreshing to hear Dravid's take on the whole situation after play. , and he certainly didn't blame India's performance on the tea incident. Given how Prior batted when he arrived at the crease, I don't think India would have been any better off by having him in earlier. As for comparisons to Bahji's LBW yesterday. It's a total different cettle of fish, there is no way that Strauss could have known that he hit the ball: you could with equal right claim that dhoni should have allowed Cook to continue in the first innings, or he should have told tendulkar to walk at Lords. At the end of the day, what remains is that India were totally out batted by a rampant England side.

fun4super2011
on August 1, 2011, 6:14 GMT

Third umpire gave wrong decision...................................
My 2 cents on this as I was thinking too much about the whole thing and looked at replays a lot of times..........
Third umpire gave wrong decision......If you look at replays closely, Munaf Patel halted for few seconds and that is indication of a four or that ball is dead since that very second.
If he did that deliberately or thinking it is four does not matter. BALL is DEAD BALL.
Ian Bell after third run came back to non-striker end because he had to as it was four. it does not matter if he runs or jogs or walks or looks like he is taking a run. Third umpire should have given him NOT OUT which he did not. That led to series of other things we saw.

Shrikar_11
on August 1, 2011, 6:13 GMT

Bell was quite obviously running a fourth and i believe halfway through he realized he needed to turn back but he wouldn't make it, so he just started walking. Kudos to dhoni for letting it fly, but remember it wouldn't quite be this way if india were batting and england were fielding.

on August 1, 2011, 6:09 GMT

I wish England showed some sportsmanlike spirit too. A new kid like Stuart Broad saying something so nasty about legend like VVS Laxman that he suspected him of applying vaseline is ridiculous! And the way Bhajji was given out lbw wrongly when there was thick inside edge shows England's belittling ways.. The big question is.. Would England do the same thing if an Indian batsmen gets out wrongly??I don't think so.. This incident goes on to prove why India is number one team.. we win by our talent and not by petty mind games.

Meety
on August 1, 2011, 6:05 GMT

@ 5wombats - " It frazzled his brain" - hows that ANY different to any other batsmen playing a loose shot after getting a good ton. What Bell did was stupid, Morgan is seen to be aware of the situation. Bell deserved to be out & any "agro" in the series would totally be England's fault. Full credit to Dhoni - although, it could be argued that they shouldn't of appealed in the 1st place. Anybody that has ever played a game of cricket knows you keep your bat grounded until over is called.

sarasafir
on August 1, 2011, 5:56 GMT

I'm no fan of India, but i will say well done on Dhoni's part for withdrawing the appeal. However, after finding out that Strauss and Flower personally went and asked them to withdraw it makes me thing if they would have done so without being requested.

All in all, at the end of the day, the right decision was made.

Kashi0127
on August 1, 2011, 5:53 GMT

I think GR Vishwanath had done the same in the past when he was captain, though do not remember the opponents

Sal76
on August 1, 2011, 5:40 GMT

Spirt of Cricket - Not followed by Strauss and Flower when they approached the Indian captain and coach to reverse the appeal, and hence reverse the decision. Well, the law says India appealed, and the batsmen left the field. So a decision was given against your man who scored a hundred. The appeal was valid, the decision was accurate and so it left a sour taste in Bell's lying mouth. Tell the man to shut up and move on with the game. Instead, Strauss and Flower bully the Indian team with perhaps the kind of threats David Lloyd implied. How the hell does that uphold the Spirit of Cricket?

Spirit of Cricket - not followed by the umpires by allowing Bell to return. So if all decisions are to be made in the dressing room why have umpires at all? The umpires should have upheld their OWN decision and not allowed Bell to return. That would have been WITHIN the laws of the game and in the Spirit of Cricket. Why then did the umpires not do what they should be doing?

on August 1, 2011, 5:37 GMT

@Subass "How many series has india won in SA or Australia ? Take your time answering !" -- Read it again, did i say that India is No.1? I Said Eng is NOT, and i don't believe in rankings. I believe that South Africa is a complete Test team that do not deliver up to their potential, other wise it is one hell of a team. They have beaten India in India, Eng in Eng and Aus in Aus. They are the real NO.1, all they have to do is to remove the choker's tag. Remember SA is the only team in this World Cup Who've Beaten India. Nobody else could.

on August 1, 2011, 5:36 GMT

i dont know how people r saying bell was running for 4th run...get ur eyes checked,y on earth sum1 try 2 take 4th run walking down d pitch while his partner is standing...even if he did make it 2 d opposite side..how on earth cud he complete dat run,wid his partner standing...nd btw he had enuf tym dat he walked all d way nd still he reached d other end when d bails were taken off...so if dey wanted a single dere ws no chance any1 cud hv got dem out...and if u want 2 get into laws...indian batsmen like sachin nd dravid have a habit of picking up d ball nd handing it over 2 d nearby fielder..which technically means out..but actually its just a gud gesture 2 help d fielder...so its better 2 earn wicket..not start playing like kids..

Faridoon
on August 1, 2011, 5:35 GMT

I applaud Dhoni for this decision. Finally he is thinking like a champion. Ravi Shastri and Gavaskar are cry babies, which is why India was never the no. 1 team when they were around.

Sal76
on August 1, 2011, 5:35 GMT

...continuing my comments...So why would David Lloyd say something like that? Well, he said it because he knows the English won't play fair. Dhoni and the Indian side were well within their rights to appeal, but the English bullied Dhoni into reversing the decision with the obvious threat - quote Bumble, "...we'll run Dravid or Tendulkar out if they leave their crease for anything...." Makes sense.

Spirit of Cricket - Not followed by Bell when he clearly ran for the 4th run, but is not even acknowledging that. In fact the replays clearly show he ran for the 4th. He is lying - how is that within the Spirit of Cricket?

Spirit of Cricket - Not followed by Eoin Morgan who clearly signalled Bell to wait and grounded his own bat. Why isn't he acknowlegding that Bell should be out and rightly so, and the Indians appeal and the umpire's decision should be upheld?

Sal76
on August 1, 2011, 5:29 GMT

Facts - Bell ran for a run, Morgan asked him to wait, grounded his own bat. Bell saw Morgan grounding his bat and realized he was out of his crease, stopped running and started walking. This is an example of when a batsman knows he's run out and cannot turn around and make his ground.

Conjecture - Dhoni withdrew his appeal in the Spirit of the Game.

Analysis - In the Spirit of the Game, Dhoni should have withdrawn his appeal on the field. According to the laws of cricket, once the batsman walks off the field, the appeal and the decision both stand. So why did Dhoni withdraw his appeal? No one has made any comments pertaining to what David Lloyd said during the tea break. Bumble may be a nice guy but he said something like, "Well the English players will now say, if you wanna play the game that way, so will we and if Tendulkar or Dravid walk out to inspect the pitch, they will run them out." Now why would he say a thing like that?......

Rosh1
on August 1, 2011, 5:27 GMT

Another Instance of similarity was between SL and NZ. After comnpleting the run Kumar Sangakkara raised his bat towards the pavilion to acknowladge the cheers for his century. Murali the non stricker got too excited and ran towards Kumar to congradulate him on his century only to see himself being run out.

AanandVasu
on August 1, 2011, 5:25 GMT

After the 3rd day's play, while browsing through TV channels at home, I got to hear what Michael Holding had to say about bell being called back. I chose to include his view alone in this note because, unlike other former cricketers' views which were either purely emotional, or plan spirit-of-the game talk without any analysis, I found this to be different and it made a lot of sense. This is what Michael Holding said about the incident on NDTV

1. A player picking the ball up and giving to the opposing team - You do not appeal because the spirit of the game is not upheld.

2. A ball hits the batsman and gets deflected - you do not usually run because it is against the spirit of the game.

However in this occasion, Bell took it upon himself that the ball is a boundary, tea has been called and started walking without waiting for the umpire's confirmation. HE HAS NO RIGHT to take the job of an umpire upon himself and in Holding's opinion, he deserved to be given out, and not called

crickstats
on August 1, 2011, 5:23 GMT

Marvan Atapattu must be the only captain to call back a batsman after an LBW decision. He recalled Symonds after an inside edge, Sri Lanka went on to win by a run I think in Dambulla, would you believe Michael Bevan and Andrew Symonds could not score 6 runs in the last over bowled by Chaminda Vaas

ranga
on August 1, 2011, 5:21 GMT

Hats off to Dhoni & Co. Why did Strauss & Co did not call back Harbhajan when everyone knew that the ball had hit the bat first? Where was the gamesmanship then. Is GAMESMANSHIP applicable to all nations playing cricket?

chirpi
on August 1, 2011, 5:20 GMT

Umpires like Judges need to follow the laws of cricket to the letter so as to be impartial to both teams. Spirit of cricket is to be followed by the players which they have done so in this case. So there is no one to blame here; both spirit of cricket and laws of cricket have been upheld by the respective parties.

on August 1, 2011, 5:13 GMT

I believe there is one crucial factor in this incident that the Indian team will have discussed when deciding whether or not to recall Bell,and this is not necessarily evident when you look at some of the TV footage at the time. When Kumar fields the ball at the boundary,he believes the ball had gone for 4, and it was therefore a dead ball. In this context, Kumar does not rush to get the ball back (as you would if you believed you had saved the boundary and therefore need to return the ball to the centre),this is very evident to the batsman (Bell),and this is why he acted the way he did. I agree the situation is confused by Bells little jog when he leaves his crease that last time,but I believe the England management will have discussed this with Bell and asked him if he thought the ball was dead. I don't believe that if Bell had been attempting a run,the England management would have requested a reversal. Eng were in a good enough position not to have to resort to such tactics

FreeVoice
on August 1, 2011, 5:11 GMT

Spirit of Game, I would rather called it Selfish English team. I had never seen English team have been withdrawing any controversial decision which favored them. When Inzi was given out on two occasions both were controversial but English didn't act in the spirit of game. And when something gone against them they start begging for its reversal.

OvickX
on August 1, 2011, 5:10 GMT

Hi Raj, have a look at this one.. and guess what? it was the very next series to that collingwood incident where he didnt call elliot back.. have a look..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsznuSW-1Ug&feature=related

funkybluesman
on August 1, 2011, 5:07 GMT

Sounds like Bell was pretty stupid really, if you aren't certain the ball is dead then treat it as if it's not. That's standard cricket practice.

As Pog pointed out, a batsman is not out run out if he's out of his ground not attempting a run. However, if he left his ground initially attempting a run and then stopped running, he needs to return to his ground.

If he'd been standing in his ground not attempting another run, it looked like the ball had gone for four and he wandered out of his ground clearly not attempting a run, then he couldn't be given out. This wasn't the case, so when the appeal was made, the correct decision had to be to give the batsman out.

At the same time, a batsman getting out because of that sort of misunderstanding isn't what the laws of the game are intended for, and the spirit of the game does suggest that overturning such a decision is a reasonable one, but it sounds a bit desperate the English specifically going and asking for it.

Elayaa
on August 1, 2011, 4:58 GMT

@_Pog_: Ifa batsman is not in crease until the ball is dead definitely he should be out.Because of that only the third umpire was given out to Bell and that's umpire's duty. Withdrew the appeal is a team's decision and that's the spirit of the game. Hats off to Indian Team, You may lose the match in england but you have won millions of hearts all over the world. Proud to be an Indian.Jai Ho

on August 1, 2011, 4:47 GMT

Decision made was not right; it was above right. It was great. India has shown the way the game should be played. Other teams and spectators should also hail the decision as an opportunity to take the game to a new high. Wouldn't it be fantastic if players walked when they edged the ball, even if umpire doesn't give them out? Wouldn't it have been fantastic if, Harbhajan said I edged the ball before it hit the pad so I shouldn't be given out LBW, and Strauss agrees? That would be the day, when the love for cricket will be restored at a much higher level.

on August 1, 2011, 4:44 GMT

Marven Atapattu called Andrew Symonds back after being given out LBW wrongly. I don't think any captain in world cricket has ever done that.

RajitD
on August 1, 2011, 4:40 GMT

Magnanimous on MSD's part to recall Bell. It didnt feel right to appeal for this, but there's no doubt that he had set off for the fourth before suddenly deciding on his own that it was tea time.

on August 1, 2011, 4:38 GMT

The indian attack was getting hammered. They were anyway staring down at chasing 350+ to save/win the match. Claiming bells wicket in that fashion wouldn't have achieved anything much other than leave a sour taste for the rest of the series.
The decision of calling him back has served all purposes.

on August 1, 2011, 4:29 GMT

Bell was clearly run out. He was looking for run. England spoil sprite of the game.

SpinMeOut
on August 1, 2011, 4:26 GMT

Reply to _Pog_ You have misunderstood Law 38.2 (e) (i).
You stated "a batman is not out Run out if he is out of his ground not attempting a run.", but this Law relates to "No Balls" only.
Have another read, "(e) No ball has been called and (i) he is out of his ground not attempting a run and (ii) the wicket is fairly put down by the wicket-keeper without the intervention of another fielder."

davidallan
on August 1, 2011, 4:24 GMT

I remeber when india lost last test,some body has wrriten here that India always disrespect the spirit of the game.Now india has proved that who is respecting who is not.Now BELL is saying he was out technically,where is the spirit for him.What happen to West Indies when Laxman is given out last series and what happen to PAKISTAN in 1999 When SACHIN is given out no body respect the game more than india,If it is AUS instead of india the situation is going to b diffrent.

on August 1, 2011, 4:17 GMT

India showed great spirit of game which every cricket centric people will love to see ,
but let us see what actually happened bell was moving toward pavilion, imagine had pavilion been on either side of the ground bell must would have waited for morgen to come to him so that they can go out, parveen kumar gave an impression that its 4 , which was governing factor of this bizarre episode more than that apeal was made only when sweater was handed to ishant sharma, i feel pity for ravi shartri who said "what this fuss is all about " and min later when bell was back he was using all the superlative degree for mr captian which he trully deserve but certainly not from ravi shartri, i request the commentators to become cricket centric

mabsoos
on August 1, 2011, 4:15 GMT

It is just a mess and crazy from the part of England and Indian captain. It is not the spirit of the cricket it is the power of money. Can somebody remeber how Inzamam was given run out. Where was sprit of cricket at that moment??. It is a murder of rules of cricket. Rules is above all and we should accept gracefully. Either we should follow the rules of the cricket or spirit of the cricket. At the first instances, Bell was given out and all excepted there was no spirit of cricket shown at the time of incident. Media is also showing hype and we should not encourage to break the law. We should abide by the rules and regulation of the cricket because the decision makers follow the rules and it means the captains are more powerful than the umpires and rules. If there is a sprit of cricket, why players sledging and showing their anger at the time of umpires decision. So, the decision taken at Trent Bridge by both the team is wrong and should not be encourged so that in future rules is fol

on August 1, 2011, 4:13 GMT

Similarly if England appealed, Dravid would have been out in the first innings when he started celebrating 100 without completing the second run.

on August 1, 2011, 4:10 GMT

When they (ECB/BCCI) really concern about the Spirit of the Game, why don't they withdraw the decision of lbw with Mr. Harbhajan Sing in the 1st innings of 2nd test (after seeing in the TV during break)?, which is really not out according to the so called letter of law. I really wonder how they went and asked Mr. Dhoni to withdraw the call. Spirit of the game is lost, when the laws are not followed.....!

on August 1, 2011, 4:05 GMT

In all honesty Bell did not go on to make alot more runs, and if England reach to the point tmr where they must declare then this whole issue would be a non issue. Would India have preferred Broad and Swann in instead scoring faster and being at a higher score at delcaration time given Broad's recent form with the bat?

Nutcutlet
on August 1, 2011, 3:59 GMT

Good on Dhon and teami for being able to see the bigger picture! This type of gesture is ultimately what separates cricket from other games - and that is something that the more partisan supporter has difficulty in getting his head round. All the same, England owes one now, don't you think? The spontaneous gesture is always the one that counts most as it shows a natural generosity of spirit. Those who make the mean choice always live to regret it - it's the same in life, IMO.

Raj0510
on August 1, 2011, 3:54 GMT

This is ridiculous that only Indian Team has played with the Spirit of the Game but not the England Team or Ian Bell. Because the coverage clearly states that Bell was running for a 4th run and in middle he dropped and walked away for Tea break, then as per the Spirit of the game he would have accepted that he had run for a 4th run and he is Run-Out but he didnt do that. This clearly indicates that Bell and the English team are not in the Spirit of the Game. I am sure other than Indian team no other Team in the World would have withdrew the decision back, especially if an Indian batsman is in the same situtation.

_Pog_
on August 1, 2011, 3:50 GMT

Bell was clearly not out as per Law 38.2 (e) (i) a batman is not out Run out if he is out of his ground not attempting a run.

Good on the Indians for withdrawing the appeal, but it was an umpiring mistake to give it out in the first place.

on August 1, 2011, 3:47 GMT

I personally feel most of the blame has to be apportioned on the umpire here. Then the fielders and Bell have to share the rest of the blame equally. I have noticed that Bell, Prior and Morgan have the habit of running to the pavilion after each session ends. This may just be enthusiasm but as seen here, not a particularly good habit as desperate fielders will take advantage of such stuff.

That said, PK's reaction was the biggest factor in the incident. I saw the replay numerous times and it is obvious PK thought it was a 4. He sat lazily, got up and picked the ball languidly and threw the ball slowly. There was no enthusiasm from the fielders as well. In such a case, the umpire should have called the ball dead well before. Then he should have checked for the 4. If Dhoni followed the spirit of cricket, then why did he even ask for the appeal? The true gentleman decisions were taken by the likes of Dravid during tea and I credit him. As usual he is the guy who sets the right example.

on August 1, 2011, 3:36 GMT

on spirit of the game it was a correct decision but looking @ the commentrators RAVI SHASTRI & SUNIL GAVASKA i dont thing they are belonging to the gentlemans game.ravi was trying to prove every one that bell was running for a four and belives he should be out and not willing to think on the spirit of the gentlemans game.on the other hand "CHILDISH COMMENT" from sunil saying that dravid wasn't clapped by english players for his hundred. if we take other way around how many indian player clapped for bell when he got 150.if the same thing happend to indian players they will make an issue and speak for ever.similarly when harbajan was given out both of them blaming DRS & ICC. it is better for them to not showing partiality

KjM4trix
on August 1, 2011, 3:33 GMT

This just shows that tea helps in good decision making. Whenever in doubt, just have a cup of tea.

on August 1, 2011, 3:33 GMT

Dhoni took the right call by calling bell back.

on August 1, 2011, 3:09 GMT

I speak as a native of Texas who has grown in an appreciation of cricket over the years -- in my humble opinion, this decision by MS Dhoni was cricket. Bell was well and truly out, but the sporting thing was to let him continue at bat. Cheers to the Indian side, and may the best team win the series.

satanswish
on August 1, 2011, 3:05 GMT

Dhoni will go down in the history as one of the best captains cricket have ever seen.

on August 1, 2011, 2:48 GMT

Dhoni's stupidity will cost India the test and the No. 1 ranking. Ian Bell was running halfway for the fourth run and running him out was absolutely within the laws and the spirit of the game.

viswanav
on August 1, 2011, 2:38 GMT

How is it that cricketers realize they are playing only a "game" sometimes, while on most occasions, they treat the pitch as a battlefield? I have my lost my respect for both sides after this incident- Strauss and Flower for requesting the appeal be withdrawn in the first place, and Dhoni and Fletcher for acknowledging their request...

on August 1, 2011, 2:36 GMT

Am just very disappointed with the way the English crowd reacted. I do not want to compare the Natwest incident and this as Strauss shouldnt be blamedfor Collingwood's fault but what did the english crowd do when Colligwood dint withdraw his appeal ? They dint boo him. And i dont really expect them to appreciate Dravid's century but efore booing, they should remember Broad checkin Laxman's bat.

subbass
on August 1, 2011, 2:30 GMT

"I'm an indian, and for those english fans who are beleivign that england is the No.1 side, sure they can be, bt they have to beat Sub Continent teams like India and Sri Lanka in Sub continent, then they can be No.1 otherwise they are NOT"

err, if they are ranked number 1 they are the number 1 team it's not that complicated mate. When Australia were dominant team they could never win in India, it's ok to have a place where you find it hard to win. How many series has india won in SA or Australia ? Take your time answering !

SaqlainHK
on August 1, 2011, 2:24 GMT

During the break, England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower went to (the Indian dressing room to ask MS Dhoni if the run-out decision could be overturned. The Indians agreed to withdraw the appeal.
they went to beg indian caption to overturn . who is hero and who is zero all mess up.) Quote from above artical
some people are making Dhoni Hero here, but english team look bagers here. if law say he is out he should be out.
if Dhoni have to decide and over turn decision he should do it right away when bell was given out.

on August 1, 2011, 2:19 GMT

Well done, Dhoni, although this incident should not have happened at all. Abhinav reminds me of a youngster named Chandimal, who made quite an embarassement for himself during Sri Lanka's tour of England.
Also, hats off to Bell for his classy innings.

on August 1, 2011, 2:12 GMT

Some people here are plain confused.why would have strauss recalled back harbhajan?it wasnt a contenious issue which could have tarnished the series.it was india who opposed the use of DRS,and if every wrong lbw decision would lead to the fielding captain recalling the batsman,why didnt dhoni tell sachin to come off at lords and recall cook in the 1st inns here?strauss,for his part,had once recalled matthews in the 2009 champions trophy.it was a sensible decision taken by both sides,full marks to both of them.now lets get back to the real action Some people here are plain confused.why would have strauss recalled back harbhajan?it wasnt a contenious issue which could have tarnished the series.it was india who opposed the use of DRS,and if every wrong lbw decision would lead to the fielding captain recalling the batsman,why didnt dhoni tell sachin to come off at lords and recall cook in the 1st inns here?strauss,for his part,had once recalled matthews in the 2009 champions trophy.it was

SAboucher
on August 1, 2011, 2:12 GMT

If Dhoni can make up for this generosity with his batting,no worries...else deservedly india will fall from top...and not sure england should be no 1,though they are really good....

Pirran
on August 1, 2011, 2:10 GMT

A Lot of people on this thread are demonstrating their ignorance of the history of the game. When Tony Greig ran out Alvin Kallicharan in the WINdies in 1974 in almost identical circumstances, the England team withdrew the appeal. Andrew Strauss also allowed Angelo Matthews to bat on after a collision in a one day game. The only exception to this was Collingwood's unfortunate decision against New Zealand after a collision a few years back and he has publicly regretted it ever since.

So not only WOULD England have done the same thing in the same circumstances, the CURRENT England captain has ALREADY done this when playing Sri Lanka.

on August 1, 2011, 2:08 GMT

Very good descision by Dhoni even though I am cursing him for letting an oppurtunity go. The damage has been done. Even though Bell added 20 more runs after being recalled but the partnership with Morgan added more than 80 Runs. So the damage has been done. India may have been back into the game if Bell was Out. IND cannot win but I hope we can draw the game. I dont believe in the spirit of Game thing bcoz it is not followed these days. I know only 2 players who would play in right Spirit. Adam Gilchrist and Sachin tendulkar. I have seen them walk when they know they are out. Please do not talk about Spirit of the game. I feel Dhoni has made a statement " We do not need back door dismissals to get back into the game. We will earn a wicket." I think this is a trait of a No 1 Team. Cheers Team India and Cheers Dhoni.!!!!!!!!

harohalli
on August 1, 2011, 2:05 GMT

Hey!What happenned to the spirit of the game from England when Inzy was run out. Remember, Inzy played Harmison and he was not thinking of the run. Harmison threw back at Inzy and to escape being hit he jumped and was in the air when the ball hit the stumps.England appealed and he was run out. Come on England be more sportive. Regarding the match, somebody in BCCI whats happenning in the team with injured players playing. Why the hell is Bhajji being played. How long we have face the torture of Bhajji bowling. I think Sachin should put up his hand and win the match. If India win this all the critics will be silenced.

on August 1, 2011, 2:00 GMT

england have done the same thing with recalling angelo maththews in the match against SL

subbass
on August 1, 2011, 1:45 GMT

"putting England in Dhoni's shoes, they would NOT have recalled an opposition batsman, just as they didn't do earlier against NZ in an ODI match, GREAT statesmanship Dhoni and India."

----------

Nonsense. Different captains mate. Strauss recalled Angelo Matthews in the champions Trophy game a few years ago, so that is what Strauss is like. And for the record I thought Collingwood was a disgrace when he did that to Elliot in the game v NZ. Everyone who has played cricket knows that when a fielder throws the ball back like Kumar did that the ball is dead, there was no urgency in the throw and Bell was not trying to score another run. It would have been a disgrace if Dhoni had upheld the appeal, thankfully he did the right thing.

Garvogujarati
on August 1, 2011, 1:40 GMT

Poor MS Dhoni, Fell into the trap by accepting Strauss's request. The Englishmen did the same thing as East India company did 250 years ago. When they are in trouble, they talk sportsmenship, Who remembers Vishy's recall of taylor 30 years ago ? All we know that Botham performed brillianntly and England Won. No Englishman remembers Vishy's spirit. MS will not be remembered for his sanity, but all the English media will go ga ga over Bell's batting and England becoming No 1

flavamonkey
on August 1, 2011, 1:38 GMT

Completely agree with @Krade. Shane Warne suggested the same thing on TV at the end of day's play. The non-striker Eoin Morgan puts his hand up to Bell suggesting that he should go back, but Bell knew it was too late to get back and decided to walk off. Morgan also made sure that he grounded his bat ensuring that he wasn't the one run out if the batsmen cross. There was no signal from the umpire for a boundary or tea break. Also, I think it was inappropriate for Strauss and Flower to approach Dhoni. There is no chance that Strauss would have changed his mind if the situation was reversed. Nice guys finish last!

SpinMeOut
on August 1, 2011, 1:27 GMT

The Facts:
1. Bell was in the wrong doing what he did.
2. India chose to appeal to run Bell out.
3. Dhoni did NOT request for the appeal to be withdrawn prior to Tea.
4. Law 27-8. Withdrawal of an appeal
The captain of the fielding side may withdraw an appeal only if he obtains the consent of the umpire within whose jurisdiction the appeal falls. He must do so before the outgoing batsman has left the field of play. If such consent is given, the umpire concerned shall, if applicable, revoke his decision and recall the batsman.
5. The Laws of Cricket were broken to allow Bell back in. I find this extremely disturbing. Dhoni had his opportunity to show "Spirit of the Game" when all the players were still on the field and he/India did NOT. (NB: Personally, I think Dhoni is a great captain).

Bytheway
on August 1, 2011, 1:25 GMT

What I find really curious is the request that Strauss and Flower made: to ask for an appeal to be withdrawn, because the batsman made a mistake. When a batsman makes a mistake he gets out. In different ways. This was just one of them. The Indian teams' decision to grant the English request is noble and magnanimous, but I am afraid that they were, in fact, bullied, and reverted temporarily to being lackeys of the Raj. Strauss and Flower created this situation by seeking to change the course of a TEST match off the field. THIS, my friends, is not cricket.

rtom
on August 1, 2011, 1:18 GMT

What heck ? where was the spirit of the game when Andy Flower asked Monty not to bowl at the nets ? totally absurd !! Dhoni scored some points here ( he is not scoring runs anyway...). what happened to the law's of cricket ? Are they not of highest priority ??? What about similar incident if Indian batsman were in a similar situation ? Do u think English team would have recalled ? Noway ....

on August 1, 2011, 1:13 GMT

I find that comments made by the English commetators regarding the incident distasteful. Cricket when I played, was played by people who were gentlemen, but now cricket is played by people who can be classified as hooligans. Mr Dhoni should be held responsible for lndia loosing this series and the No 1 position in test ranking. His poor captaincy and poor shot selection has lead to India not gaining the upper hand in this match. I for one would welcome if Dhoni is no longer the test captain but only kept on for the shorter form of the game. I will be very happy if this is implmented sooner rather than later.

kangaroussy
on August 1, 2011, 1:04 GMT

i note there's 200 comments already, so this may well have already been said, and probably a few times, but i remember a few years ago there was a run out in an ODI, NZ vs ENG, with an NZ batsman colliding with Ryan Sidebottom during a quickish single. Batsman sprawls, bails removed, ENG appeal, batsman out R/O. I remember the umpire putting his hand on Collingwood's shoulder (as captain) and saying something like "do you really want to do this?" and Colly sort of smirking and saying "yep". I was in NZ at the time, and the nation was aghast!

on August 1, 2011, 1:04 GMT

I'm an indian, and for those english fans who are beleivign that england is the No.1 side, sure they can be, bt they have to beat Sub Continent teams like India and Sri Lanka in Sub continent, then they can be No.1 otherwise they are NOT.

I think South Africa is the only team who has good records against indian in india and in sub continent condition. SA is the real No.1 test team. They have the best fast bowling and now with Botha, Harris and Tahir they have the best spinning attack to beat any subcontinent team in sub continent conditions.

England wil not be the No.1 Team, untill and unless they improve their sub-continent record. Aside that, Beware other teams, Gary Kirsten is now the coach of SA team, if he can make India No.1, wonder what he'll do to his home team. SA is the real next champ.

on August 1, 2011, 1:02 GMT

There is a reason cricket is called a gentlemans game. The object of the game is to win yes, but there are certain rules that are implied in cricket, rules that India ignored. It was 100 percent right to allow Bell to return to play.

rahulcricket007
on August 1, 2011, 0:59 GMT

i m an indian fan and i accept that we are going to lose this test match. but for england to becomeno.1 thay have to beat us by 2-0 or 3-1 which will not happen . india will lost this series by 2-1 because 3rd test will be win by india due to return of sehwag and zaheer and the fourth test venue is a flat pitch so it would be a draw .

pitch_it_up
on August 1, 2011, 0:59 GMT

The spirit of the game is a bit quirky to understand. Is it within the spirit of the game for Ian Bell to walk off (or rather jog-off) without waiting for the umpire's decision or wait for the opponent fielder's to complete their fielding efforts. Isn't that disrespecting the opponents? He didn't check with umpire....a mere raising of his arm towards either of the umpire's would have been fine. Doing neither this nor waiting for the umpire's decision isn't in the right spirit either. Didn't we all criticize Muralitharan for doing the same in a game against NZ some time back in NZ. Murali, without waiting for the NZ fielder's to complete their fielding, ran towards his fellow team-mate (can't recollect who it was) to congratulate him on completing his century. Murali was given out. It was then unanimously agreed that Murali did not respect the rules of the game. So, why is it then Ian Bell's run-out being held against India??!!

on August 1, 2011, 0:57 GMT

Did England called Harbhajan back after seeing the inside edge on his pads on big screen? No they didn't. Bell was out an they shouldn't have made such a fuss about it. That really shows how defensive this indian team is.

India is desperately missing Gary Kirsten and his aggressive appearance in the indian dressing room. Fletcher is so slow and defensive.

Look what gary did against SA, in the second test, they bounced back after getting hammered in 1st test. And look what Fletcher doing.

Mr. Dhoni Buy Drawing yoru series, won't make you No.1. You are so defensive and you as a batsman is a fop show. WC final innings was a flook and dew on the ground saved you that evening. Nothing will save you now.

cantwaittosee
on August 1, 2011, 0:47 GMT

Bell was running the fourth at one point. He should have been out.

peterss
on August 1, 2011, 0:44 GMT

If in good spirits, why was the appeal even made in the first place? Probably Dhoni realised his unsportsmanlike behaviour during the tea break and if this was Andrew Strauss, I'm pretty sure the appeal wouldnt even have been made.

Purushvichaar
on August 1, 2011, 0:35 GMT

Well done Dhoni. These are the traits of a true leader. And the fact that the decision was unanimous within the team shows the leadership trait of Indian team. Rankings display leadership position on hard numbers, which are important no doubt. But true leadership can be defined only through a balance of hard and soft factors. This is what Indian team has shown. Great job guys. The nation supports you. Go and set standards of fair play that no team has done so far and the cricketing statutes are also unable to define.

FatBoysCanBat
on August 1, 2011, 0:28 GMT

There is no right or wrong decision. In the rules of the game he is 100% out, however in the so-called 'spirit of the game' he was recalled, albeit after an approach from the English Heirachy. There have been many instances of this in the past, the two worst involving NZ. Once on the receiving end when England did not recall Grant Elliott in a T20I when Sidebottom knocked him down. The other when a certain NZ wicket-keeper ran out Muralitharan who was walking out to congratulate Sangakkara for his century in a Test Match.

on August 1, 2011, 0:27 GMT

will england do the same thing in this situation? i am sure they won't. dhoni was very magnanimous in recalling .

PembertonCricket
on August 1, 2011, 0:23 GMT

There have been many comments about what Strauss would have done in the same situation; indeed many have suggested that he would not have withdrawn the appeal. Perhaps we can look to actual events of a similar nature involving the England captain. 1. He DID recall Angelo Matthews in a ODI when there was a collision mix up. 2. He DID permit Australia to select a different wicket-keeper in a Test in 2009 in England even though the teams had already been announced (Haddin was injured right before play commenced). For those who would question Strauss's application of the 'spirit of the game', think about these two actual events.

viswanav
on August 1, 2011, 0:20 GMT

Had this really been done in the spirit of the game, this incident should have been resolved on the pitch, not behind the scenes in the dressing rooms (although I still believe Bell was out). What's the guaranty that only words were exchanged in the dressing room and nothing else happened? I wouldn't surprised if something interesting came out in someone's autobiography after a few years time. In this day and age, anything can happen at anytime in any place and it's ultimately the public who are taken for a ride.

Rezaul
on August 1, 2011, 0:19 GMT

Above all these chaos, the truth is that Bell was OUT by pure cricketing laws. Though Dhoni called back Bell and withdraw his appeal for the sake of spirit I have reasonable doubt whether Strauss would have done the same for any other team. Look at the English commentators now they all praising Dhoni and labeling it as spirit of cricket. But if it were on their shoes (England's appeal) then these same commentators would have scream session after session that the out was according to the cricket law so Strauss doesnt need to call back the batsman and withdraw the appeal. We saw that when England toured NZL, Strauss did not call back Guptil (I think). And Stewart's intentional Run Out of Brain Lara was shameful. But both cases English commentators screamed for the sake of cricket laws not spirit of game.

Trioboy
on August 1, 2011, 0:13 GMT

This is just like the incident where Kiwi Brendan McCullum ran out Muralidaran when he went to congratulate Sangakkara. Disgraceful and bad sportsmanship by Dhoni and the Indian team. Why did Dhoni had to wait for Flowers and Strausses request to withdraw the appeal? He should have done it then on the field. It was just to avoid the controversy. Disgraceful!! This is bad cricket.

Nerk
on August 1, 2011, 0:05 GMT

Good work from Dhoni. He, like most Indian captains, is obviously a gentleman. Quite simply, its good to see and I wish people would stop saying "what if England did it, what would they do blah, blah, blah." England didn't do it, India did and Dhoni did the right thing.

viswanav
on August 1, 2011, 0:05 GMT

Spirit of the game? I fail to understand how this incident is connected with the spirit of the game. How is that cricketers occasionally wake up to the fact that cricket is a game, while on other occasions, they consider the pitch as a battlefield? In my opinion, what both the parties have done is shameful. Flower and Strauss shouldn't have done what they did in the first place. Dhoni and company shouldn't have acknowledged their request. If England wanted the #1 ranking so desperately, they could have just asked for it. Likewise, if Dhoni and company wanted to secure their place inside the hearts of English cricket fans, they should have done it through some other way, not through such a publicity stunt. It's a shame that cricket is one of the sports where the crowd dictates the progress of the game.

Duckworth_Lewis
on August 1, 2011, 0:03 GMT

Bell was out, Murali was out, Elliot was out. Spirit of the game? Pressure from the opposition more like it. That was the only reason Dhoni reversed his appeal - he appealed, he was asked if he wanted to uphold it by the umpires he did, THEN he is visited by the English and he reversed it. I think I see the English team turning into the Australian one. Talented, ruthless and with a hostile crowd. I can't remember the last time I saw an Englishman play in the 'spirit of the game' - maybe that's why they're about to take the no.1 spot - just like the Aussies had for so long.

on August 1, 2011, 0:01 GMT

Who interperates the laws of cricket the umpires or the captains? Why have umpires if captains are allowed to overrule the umpires decision? Sack Dhoni. Spirit of the game does not come into it.Spirit of the game should only extend to playing the game in good friendly way and not sledging. Leave administrating the laws to the officials.

Raj-Arya
on July 31, 2011, 23:57 GMT

This doesnt destroy or builds the spirit of the game.It was pretty unwanted decision. If you look clearly, after the third run, at non striker end, Morgan had his hand up suggesting not to take the run. Bell ran half way and when realised he can't go back, acted as he is off to tea.The ind side was casual in the incident probably because they were not sure if the ball touched the rope earlier, but took off the bails just in case it didn't.After apealing,the umpires to stay on the pitch but they walked off and they should be punshied for that as the umpores didnt call tea upto that stage. Referral system is followed to stop the wrong decisions, and if players/captain have right to overturn those Correct decisions, that defeats the purpose ,basically.Bell shouldnt have been recalled coz he was out and a) as per the law of the game and b) India wasn't destroying the spirit of game. Iam very sorry to say & hard to believe but seems like Dhoni is trying to please hosts more than winning gm

Stevo_
on July 31, 2011, 23:49 GMT

Dhoni didn't do anything, he only removed the appeal after Strauss and Flower went and talked to him. If he is such a "jewel" why did he let the appeal stand on the field ?

Stevo_
on July 31, 2011, 23:47 GMT

If there wasn't a tea break I bet you they wouldn't have reverted their appeal.

Lahori_Munde
on July 31, 2011, 23:45 GMT

Bell was out and story is over. Do you think England would have called the opposition back in this situation? NO. No other team would have done the same as what India did today. This is the Modern day cricket and the approach for all other teams is to win at any cost. Well done India but you now on the course to loose this test and your #1 rank..

Al_Pinto
on July 31, 2011, 23:40 GMT

It is interesting to note that ANDY FLOWER, the England coach who requested Dhoni to reconsider Bell's dismissal, doesn't demonstrate the same spirit as Dhoni. Flower asked Monty Panesar not to bowl to Tendulkar at the nets so as to not give him any practice against English bowlers. Monty didn't mind and SRT didn't, but obviously, it was a problem for Flower.

5wombats
on July 31, 2011, 23:37 GMT

One or two people are trying to twist this around. Pointless. If Dhoni/Indian Team had stuck to the decision of "OUT" it would have left a very bitter taste and ruined the series. Quite right to recall Bell. Alright - Bell screwed up, but you try batting for hours on end and being 130 not out against a top test team. It frazzled his brain. He clearly thought the ball had gone for four/dead. In the end - it wasn't worth the aggro for the 20 runs that someone else on the England side would have got anyway.

D.V.C.
on July 31, 2011, 23:32 GMT

Part of batting is maintaining your concentration, and staying alert to the circumstances. This is especially true of long innings in Test Matches. To my mind Bell was out, and should have stayed out. If Dhoni feels that he would like to invite Bell back though, then he is quite entitled to do so.

AbuUSA
on July 31, 2011, 23:28 GMT

Proud the way Indians held it. However, when Harbhajan was out due to an umpire error, where was Strauss not recalling him. India called Bell even when umpire did not make mistake. Strauss requesting Dhoni to show spirit of the game while he himself did not just a day earlier. Would love to hear what he has to say about his spirit.

__PK
on July 31, 2011, 23:12 GMT

Steffan Wyn-Jones has glossed over the key word in Law 23 (xi) (b) - "clear", despite using it a number of times in irrelevant context in his comment. It needs to be clear to the umpire, not to the fielder or batsman.

Wiqbal
on July 31, 2011, 23:08 GMT

i wasn't MSD fan till yesterday, but i am sure that he made many more fans after this incident and i am one of them. he showed great sportsmanship, and hats off to him.

sam_laker
on July 31, 2011, 23:05 GMT

No matter what, the next best thing to seeing Aussies winning a game is seeing India losing one.

on July 31, 2011, 22:59 GMT

Dhoni did the sensible thing here. You can argue he was within his right to claim the wicket, and probably be right, but he diffused what was clearly going to be a very ugly situation. We all remember the bad-tempered England/Pakistan series from last year. Granted they were completely different circumstances, but nobody wanted a repeat of that.

Personally, I thought they only appealed after seeing the replay of Kumar saving the four on the big screen, which I was very dubious about. Dhoni did a very good thing here, regardless of either the laws or the spirit of the game.

zico123
on July 31, 2011, 22:55 GMT

putting England in Dhoni's shoes, they would NOT have recalled an opposition batsman, just as they didn't do earlier against NZ in an ODI match, GREAT statesmanship Dhoni and India.

rattoir
on July 31, 2011, 22:45 GMT

Hopefully Bell plays in the spirit of the game next time he nicks one behind like the new years test...

MDulithaTPerera12
on July 31, 2011, 22:37 GMT

Shows how to play gentlemen's cricket. We should not forget that similar kind of situation occured when Sri Lanka played against New Zealand. When Sanga scored a hundred and reached the bowlers end, Murali who was at the batsman's end came to congratulate him and the New zealand wicket keeper Brendon McCullom removed the bails. But at that time the decision was not reversed again. Shame!

ccrriicc
on July 31, 2011, 22:37 GMT

In a nation of corruption and lawlessness the only tangible that India or Indians live by is by their humanity - something close to what one may call "the spirit" or in the current context the, "spirit of the game". It is hard to define the "spirit of the game" except by the recognition of the fact that the game is played by human beings not animals or a few robots who must obey the law at all times! It is clear that if it was England, Australia or South Africa, we would have followed the letter of the law and not the letter of the spirit; in the WEST the law reigns the supreme. The Indian team made the right decision; it was human. Stupid BCCI (no DRS), unprepared players and # 1 position about to be lost - but we can still hold our heads highs, because we have the "Spirit" - Thank you Team India!

on July 31, 2011, 22:36 GMT

See the 3 images I added and think yourself.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.227482520621214.48591.100000784031498

on July 31, 2011, 22:32 GMT

I am not too excited about this gray area of spirit of the cricket. This is only game where rules are violated in name of spirit and where actual spirit is required, nobody shows that spirit. Bhajji had big nick and given LBW, wouldn't Eng player know that he was not out. It is really shameful on part of Strauss and Flower to go to Indian dressing room and asked for withdrawal of appeal. I would say that Bell was certainly out within the spirit and rule of the game. Nobody blocked his way while running or tried to stop him while he was reaching another crease. That would have been against the spirit and happened before (Sachin's run out against Pak). Bell was stupid to assume things that there was four and that umpire took off the bail for tea. I don't understand where the spirit involved in this game. It was similar dismissal as of Sehwag by Sangakkara (who caught napping thinking ball is dead).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEy68xjJOc8

on July 31, 2011, 22:31 GMT

bell was clearly not attempting a run. Most if not all the players seamed to consider the ball dead. Praveen acted as if the ball had gone for four. No blame attached to anyone. I play cricket and know that sometimes you will remove the bails even in jest, I dont think anyone was trying to cheat. And a good descision was made by Dohni. Its a good job it was on the stroke of tea wich allowed everyone the time to consider it. And Dravid spoke well when he talked to the press afterwards. Reflects well on cricket, and was good politics.

Cpt.Meanster
on July 31, 2011, 22:26 GMT

So many NON-INDIANS here don't realize the magnitude of MS Dhoni as a cricketer and leader. He is a JEWEL for India. I don't see any captain in world cricket as cool and honest as him. Sure India may lose the game BUT MS DHONI and Team India have WON the hearts of many many Indians and TRUE lovers of the game of cricket with this gesture. The English crowds for all their wisdom know nothing more than booing and random Barmy Army chants. They can never understand MS DHONI and his greatness. England might become the no.1 team and congrats to them if that happens BUT Dhoni and his men will remain no.1 in spirit and gesture. Sreesanth's wishes to Bell after hitting 150 by patting his back, WOW priceless. Salute you DHONI.

Mutukisna
on July 31, 2011, 22:25 GMT

Credit to MS Dhoni for withdrawing the appeal. But what would have happened if it was not the last ball before tea? One wonders! It also brings into refocus when Muralitharan having made his crease walked over ( not ran) to congratulate his fellow Kandyan Sangakkara on Sangakkara reaching his century when he was "run out" by McCullum and was ruled out. Shame on you McCullum and New Zealand Cricket!

RAVI_BOPARA
on July 31, 2011, 22:24 GMT

AFTER ALL THIS INDIA WILL STILL LOSE THE SERIES 3-1

smudgeon
on July 31, 2011, 22:24 GMT

Only recalld after Dhoni was asked by Strauss? If they were playing "in the spirit of the game", a) the runout would never have happened, and b) the appeal would have been withdrawn when they were on the ground. C'mon, that kind of run-out is for the school yard - how did Mukund & the Indian players who appealed think it was fair play? Grubby grubby stuff. Glad Dhoni overturned it, showed good faith, but I still think it should have been sorted out on the field.

on July 31, 2011, 22:23 GMT

Now the same thing will happen to Tendulkar or Laxman, and Strauss will pounce on that, and in all likelihood never ask the batsmen to return. I would not be surprised in the least bit if that actually happens.

NRI-
on July 31, 2011, 22:18 GMT

so why didn't dhoni call Bell back right then and there?

Krade
on July 31, 2011, 22:15 GMT

Am I the only one who thinks that India has done England a huge favor? For all of you who haven't seen the video -- http://www.criconline.tv/ian-bell-controversial-runout-2nd-test-ind-vs-eng/ -- Ian Bell was CLEARLY running for the fourth run. Look at when the ball reaches the wicket. There was a clear fourth run. Bell ran the fourth run half way, and then, when he realized the non-striker wasn't in it. He instead strolled off making it seem like he was heading to tea. I'm not an Indian, but if this situation was reversed, Strauss would have NEVER retracted the decision to bring back the batsman

AjaySridharan
on July 31, 2011, 22:07 GMT

Let's not overdo this. Dhoni & Co. wouldn't have reversed the decision had Strauss not requested for it. If they wanted to be magnanimous, they shouldn't have appealed in the first place, or withdrew it before going in for the break. Dhoni now gets to be the epitome of sporting morals and will bag a few more commercials in that context and laugh his way to the bank...his pathetic captaincy in this game notwithstanding.

nickturner1
on July 31, 2011, 22:06 GMT

Its a change to be playing a team of gentlemen and not Australia

on July 31, 2011, 22:05 GMT

@Gihan Peries, it was frustration shown against then Indian team, not against SL, hope you got it better this time...

360review
on July 31, 2011, 22:05 GMT

@Warren Smith, You are contradicting your statements. First you said "but it was the players who tried to run out Bell when he clearly wasnt going to take another run." and then you indicated that "took the lifeline extended by a greedy Strauss and Flower whos batsman made a mistake to wonder out of his crease before the keeper received the ball." So which is it? Bell was not taking the run or made a mistake of wandering out of his crease? Are you guys still watching and listening to the News of World?

SanjivAwesome
on July 31, 2011, 22:02 GMT

Interesting to note that the English crowd were happy to chant "cheats". In my view, this is just the default view of the English. I have lived in London. So they shouldn;t complain about Indian crowds when they next visit here! As an India fan, I must say we have not been playing to our potential in this series. England are the better team and are playin like the No. 1 team should.

big_al_81
on July 31, 2011, 22:02 GMT

Huge respect for the Indian team for upholding the spirit of the game, especially when everything was going really badly for them. The pressure to benefit from what was essentially a moment of speculative opportunism would have been pretty severe. It's clear enough that from the way the ball was thrown back the fielder (Kumar) felt the session was over and it was only when it reached the wicket that things changed. Bell was absent-minded rather than disrespecftul as one correspondent below very uncharitably suggests. This action reflects very well on the Indian team who have gone up enormously in my estimation.

BigDataIsAHoax
on July 31, 2011, 21:55 GMT

When this incident happened England's score was 250. When Bell was eventually out, it was 323. That is 73 runs. It definitely had an impact. Who knows what would have happened if Bell had not been called back. This was a tactical move by MSD. Purely political. And very frustrating. Can't imagine a Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke doing this or even Andrew Strauss himself.

landl47
on July 31, 2011, 21:55 GMT

I think it is especially pleasing that it was the unanimous decision of the Indian team to recall Bell. They have earned themselves a lot of respect and admiration for their sportsmanship. Whatever the result of this game and the series, the Indian team acted like a #1 side. They are a great team, not only as players, but as sportsmen.

Rezaul
on July 31, 2011, 21:52 GMT

England is playing brilliantly without any doubt. However, I would say Dhoni put an example by allowing Bell to bat again after he was run out which was purely based on cricketing rules. I have reasonable doubt whether Dhoni's opposite number Strauss would have done that!! I remember one occasion when Brian Lara was batting very confidently and thrashing English bowlers all corners of the ground. Once, Lara played a normal defensive stroke and ball came back to the keeper Alec Stewart via the fielder. Lara was just stroking the ground with his bat and fixing some of the uneven turf. Stewart waited for Lara to step out of his crease while he was padding the turf. As soon as Lara's boot crossed the line Stewart took the bails off and appealed for run out. Eventually umpires declared Lara Run Out. That was clearly against the spirit of the game. And the then English captain Stewart did that intentionally.

QTS_
on July 31, 2011, 21:52 GMT

The key point is that it was the last ball before tea, so Bell was justified in walking towards the pavilion. If not, he would not have left the crease. Therefore, the controversy hinges on the (unfair?) advantage taken by the fielding side in getting Bell to move. If it were a ball played in the middle of the over, Bell would have had to incur the entire blame.

Semoli
on July 31, 2011, 21:45 GMT

Please don't complain about a half strength Indian team. The indian team has not come prepared and so if they lose it have only them to blame.

on July 31, 2011, 21:41 GMT

Im proud of being an Indian Cricket & MSD fan !!!

on July 31, 2011, 21:37 GMT

Great to see Sportsmanship still alive in cricket!

miketurney
on July 31, 2011, 21:36 GMT

Whatever your viewpoint , congratulations to Dhoni who has shown himself a true gent. If India lose the test , they will come out of this with heads held high. Shame the decision wasnt announced during tea before they came out though

Domzo
on July 31, 2011, 21:33 GMT

If we're going into dodgy LBWs, then Cook shouldn't have been out in the first innings (or possibly should have been a few balls earlier), Tendulkar and Ghambir should have walked at Lords when they were as stone dead as the one Trott got away with today etc. Harbajan's was a poor decision, but to blame Broad is completely disingenuous. It's the bowler's duty to make sure that a poor decision doesn't cost too much. That's what Anderson and Broad did beautifully at lords and Kumar did with equal skill with Trott. Incidentally Kumar is the real deal - particularly in swinging conditions.

Ram_UK
on July 31, 2011, 21:33 GMT

Of-course English would love spirit of game saga coz there are in winning positions now and after the incident Indian team got completely demoralized and we can easily make out from there body language and couldn't come out of trance until England added 100+ in 10-15 odd overs. I havn't seen any English fans commenting about KP questioned Dravid's catch at lords on his way to double century, havn't seen anyone comment when Broad was checking Laxman's bat after so called faint snic on day 2 at Nottingham. Only questions arises especially when teams from subcontinent are invld. I had little doubt if it were ENG, AUS or NZ teams , they would never throw away golden chance to get important wicket. Hats off to flower and Strauss they shamelessly went to Indian Dressing and request to re-consider the appeal to which captain prefect obliged to become hero of the day. At the end of the day who wins matter but not who lost with dignity. Dhoni has let down entire nation with a foolish decision.

Hanspal
on July 31, 2011, 21:30 GMT

When Harbhajan was given LBW for Broad hatric WHERE WAS THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME, in that case England team wants hatric from Board. When Bell was given run out and England wants score from Bell, then there comes SPIRIT OF GAME, Dhoni you made a decision under presure, thats not good, and INDIAN CRICKET FANS will never forgive Dhoni. Beware of England Tactics.

on July 31, 2011, 21:25 GMT

good game of cricket...I can recall a similar incident of a batsman being recalled after being given out...Can somebody confirm it...???

The great Imran Khan recalled Indian Batsman Srikanth after he was given out LBW by umpire in Dec 1989 (probably 4th ODI at lahore). Srikanth got an edge off Waqar Younis in the very next over.

on July 31, 2011, 21:24 GMT

if there is australia ,NO reverse happens......not professional approach by indian skipper.................................

on July 31, 2011, 21:20 GMT

@Master01 India shouldn't be using excuses about injuries, if they are number one then surely they should have strength in depth just like England. England have replacements in their bowling eg Shahzad, Onions, Bresnan, Monty, Woakes...the list goes on. So India should have replacements for these players, injuries are part of all sports they can't count on Zaheer and Sehwag being fit all the time, that would be ridiculous.

johnathonjosephs
on July 31, 2011, 21:19 GMT

At first I was livid when I saw the replays. Dhoni did not want to be the center of the controversy and lobbed the ball to Saha (substitute) to run him out. That being said, Dhoni instructed Saha to take off the bails in the first place. No. 1 Team at its most desperate moment. That being said, as a neutral viewer (I am American and have been watching cricket for a long time), watching the replays again, I saw that Bell initially tried jogging to the other end for 4, and Morgan put his hands up to decline. Bell then looked behind and saw that if he tried to run back, he would be run out and just walked towards Morgan. Honestly, after viewing that multiple times over, that was out. But Dhoni, being a media oriented person, did not want to hurt his media image in any way and let him slide.... Either way, Bell only made 12-13 runs more, so it wasn't a big deal in context of the game

MrsBoycottsStickOfRhubarb
on July 31, 2011, 21:12 GMT

MS Dhoni and the Indian team have won a lot of friends today with a fantastic display of sportsmanship. You have behaved like the no. 1 team in the world today.

attilathecricketer
on July 31, 2011, 21:12 GMT

Modern spirit of cricket - make life easier for the batsmen so they can do what they want and don't worry about the bowlers or fielders. Look forward to seeing batsmen walking again!

on July 31, 2011, 21:10 GMT

Dhoni is the best.......

HumungousFungus
on July 31, 2011, 21:08 GMT

Sadly, I strongly suspect that India's decision to withdraw the appeal was driven more by a desire to keep the peace between the teams (and the boards) than any greater altruism. In a series that has already been rife with preposterous appealing by both sides, batsmen nicking and standing their ground, and a poisonous media frenzy over the slightest incident real or imagined (witness 'Vaselinegate' as a recent example) any claims now in respect of the mythical 'Spirit Of Cricket' are clearly just nonsense.
This incident will inevitably overshadow a day where England have ground India down, and shown up the serious lack of depth and quality in the Indian squad.
Of course Sehwag, Zaheer, and Gambhir would make a difference, but (a) they're not playing, and (b) this only serves to highlight the lack of depth in the Indian squad. Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, and Zaheer will not be around for ever, and the likely replacements are not remotely of equivalent quality...

krishna_kishore
on July 31, 2011, 21:00 GMT

If keeping the spirit of the game alive counts, then should the Indians be expecting reciprocation? Would they see the same attitude from the England players, who dint bother to join two hands, forget congratulating, when Rahul Dravid scored his hundred? Its the players' attitude which matters in the situations, and the Indians have more often than not been on the right side.

Christopher_A
on July 31, 2011, 20:56 GMT

Maybe Dhoni hopes England will let him play the next test as a thank you- pretty sure he's going to get a ban for slow over rates now. Or trying to make amends for Sree's disgraceful appeal in the first innings (is any action being taken for that?)

Toon-Harmy
on July 31, 2011, 20:55 GMT

Amid all the noise and fury this incident has provoked one man's voice should be heard above all - Rahul Dravid. A man of authority both when batting and speaking, he readily admitted in his Sky interview that something clearly wasn't right about the manner of Ian Bell's 'dismissal' and that, ultimately, the correct decision was reached. Clearly, Rahul Dravid is a man who attaches paramount importance to the spirit of this great game. Perhaps one or two posters on here could follow his example. And as terrible as Harbhajan Singh's LBW decision was, those attempting to bring it into the Bell run-out debate have no idea what they are talking about. That was purely and simply human error by the umpire, something it's hoped can be erased or minimised by DRS, but we all know why that isn't being used ... One final point - surely the decision to reinstate Bell could have been communicated to the crowd before resumption of play and prevented the jeers India and the umpires were subjected to?

vk6848
on July 31, 2011, 20:53 GMT

If Mccullum's run out of Murali when he walked across to congratulate Sangakkara was right, then anything goes!! Funny no one made a meal of that incident!

on July 31, 2011, 20:36 GMT

There;s two teams out there and one of them is playing in the spirit of cricket (India) and the other is not (England). Anyone who knows cricket history well with remember where that partial quote is from.
Sufice is to say, England didn't congratulate Dravid when he scored a century but the Indian team did congratulate Bell on his century. That speaks volumes in my opinion. Win or loose, India played the game in the spirit of cricket. As for England (and I am English) I see them becoming like another Australia (under Ponting) and possibly worse. Even the Aussies congratulate the opposition after a century.

sreesam
on July 31, 2011, 20:33 GMT

Thank you Dhoni (an Indian, can you believe it!?) for upholding the spirit of the game!! It's a refreshing change from the antics of Ponting and Strauss which the rest of the cricketing world had to put up with in the name of "playing hard" or whatever excuses their fans come up with!

on July 31, 2011, 20:32 GMT

@ Steffan Wyn - Jones : Dont think you were watching the match.....Ball hadnt crossed the rope, it wasnt dead. It doesnt matter how callous the fielder is (Praveen Kumar THOUGHT it was four & he also THOUGHT he was robbed of 21 LBW decisions, It doesnt matter). Mukund collected the ball, SOME ONE left the crease to take run and never came back; Mukund threw the ball to Dhoni who dislodged the bails.
When does TEA starts? - After the over is complete.
When was over completed? - When bails were dislodged by Dhoni & he appealed, against Bell who I think was MOON-BLINKED.
IT WAS OUT.....Only expalanation - Rules were not strictly construed but the spirit of the game was brought to forefront by the BENEVOLENT gesture of MS Dhoni.

on July 31, 2011, 20:30 GMT

Spirit of the game??? Looks like Dhoni bowed to crowd pressure...
Where do you draw the line when it comes to the Spirit of the Game? By that logic, the English team should have recalled Harbhajan yesterday. Where was the Spirit of the Game at that time?
Ideally, after being recalled, Ian Bell should have acknowledged India's gesture and yet not come out to bat because he WAS out. THAT would have been the true Spirit of the Game!!

raza_87
on July 31, 2011, 20:30 GMT

Bell started for 4 run, then assumed it is already a boundary score after seeing the heroics of Mr. PK and started to slowly walk toward the pavilion assuming that tea.

on July 31, 2011, 20:30 GMT

I am actually ashamed to be English as the English fans booed the Indian team today. They should apologize for this behaviour...all of them!! Also another point is that when Dravid scored his century, None of the English players congratulated him whereas in contrast, today when Bell scored his century and then got out, all the Indian players said well done to him and patted him on the back or shook his hand. There's a big difference between England and India. India plays in the spirit of the game and England does not. If England become number one then I will rue the day this happens as we are going to be faced with an arrogant unsportsmanlike team similar to Australia under Ponting.England is not a worthy number one.

on July 31, 2011, 20:21 GMT

@ every one we indians wouldnt even go to an english dressing room to plead for reversal of decision.. its riddiculous to even think like that when you know mistake is in your part... we booo you stauss n flower... any way a good gesture by dhoni... thumps up

growler1969
on July 31, 2011, 20:17 GMT

@ Baskar Guha on (July 31 2011, 19:47 PM GMT)
I agree with your comments 100%. If you appeal a catch knowing it is not a catch then that seems to be ok with today's players from all nations. It is all or nothing.

bigwonder
on July 31, 2011, 20:15 GMT

@Alex Barrett, Today England's captain and coach showed exactly why they will never be the #1 test team. They did not respect the spirit of the game but followed the emotion of the crowd and went on to talk to Indian Captain. Why can't they swallow the bitter pill that their batsmen did not follow the rules? I think the ECB and the English crowd are bossing around ICC and BCCI once again.

on July 31, 2011, 20:09 GMT

I m a hardcore Pakistani fan and love to hate India's No 1 ranking and having said that I am supporting England in this series but what Ms Dhoni & Co did today made me respect them as they showed a big big heart knowing that it could even lose them the match...on the other hand I m so upset for Strauss..I mean how can u influence ur oponent to change decision that will help u in the game by going to thier dressing room...thats such a disgust for the spirit of the game...and i never heard the crowd booing Strauss for this or Broad checking on VVS's bat for Vaselin??? Why only teams from subcontinent they bring out athics or spirit of the game...

cricfan800
on July 31, 2011, 20:01 GMT

Kind of MS Dhoni!!!!!!!!!!!

on July 31, 2011, 20:01 GMT

@Steffan Wyn-Jones
Mud-slinging??? If crowd's behavior in the semi-final is what you have for example , then how about the body-line series. The custodian of the spirit of the game are the ones who are playing and the body-line series showed the REAL English spirit of the game.

Patchmaster
on July 31, 2011, 19:58 GMT

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen India outplayed like that in all my days of watching them - they really looked like Bangladesh rather than India at times - definitely not a number one side at the moment - I can never imagine AUS playing with such a lack of bite when they were number one, at least they'd fight - IND didn't fight today....ENG fought like dogs and pulled themselves towards victory

CricSamraat
on July 31, 2011, 19:53 GMT

Let's hope English Team does the same in future what Dhoni did. Otherwise, this decision by Dhoni would go down as a historic blunder on Dhoni's part.

on July 31, 2011, 19:47 GMT

I am not sure I agree. There are times when these same blokes appeal for a catch knowing that it isnt a nick and then never recall when the guy is given out. If you want to follow the spirit of the game, you have to do it all the time, not just as a PR move which is what I think this is.

on July 31, 2011, 19:44 GMT

I saw the incident and thought that it could have gone either way. Bell looked like he was attempting a fourth run whereas Morgan was nowhere interested. Bell realised that he wouldn't have made his ground attempting to get back and so he just strolled towards Morgan. I think a talking point/controversy has been averted for the series. Another thing to note is that Bell didn't add too many after the incident so I dont think it can be said that the incident cost India the match. The lower order batsmen seem to be holding up India as has been the case recently.

U.A.1985
on July 31, 2011, 19:41 GMT

Guys lets be fair this is not the first time a good gesture has been shown by a captain. I remmeber in Australia when SRT was wrongly given LBW, McGrath & Ponting called him back. Similarly we know Tony Greig's Hansie Cronje's icidents as well where the recall happened. Also to fair to bell; even I thought that it was a boundary going by Pravenn Kumar's reaction. In fact PK's reaction was so much confirming of a four that 8 of all Indian men on the field were heading towards the dressing room. Plus how confident was Dhoni when he was appealing? Why was Rauf handing off the sweater to ishant? Why wasnt the umpire feeling that game is still on? To be honest it was in spirit of cricket for Bell to be 'not out'.

Master01
on July 31, 2011, 19:39 GMT

AlexBarret- Beating a half strength India side proves nothing. wait till we have zaheer back and sehwag back and gambhir back.

Praxis
on July 31, 2011, 19:39 GMT

I can see many people aren't happy with Dhoni's decision. Actually Dhoni made a clever choice today, if he hadn't changed the decision it would have caused too many controversies. Now Dhoni gets to be a hero and the ultimate protector of the spirit of the game! Also it helps to make us all overlook the fact that ENG practically scored 400+ today, even after playing 2 spinners the over rate was slow & the field settings by Dhoni were pathetic.

tjsimonsen
on July 31, 2011, 19:35 GMT

@deepaksam, Sayan87, and others: hats off to you guys too! Thanks!

on July 31, 2011, 19:31 GMT

it was a good decision by the Indian team,play fare,you will be rewarded

Nutcutlet
on July 31, 2011, 19:30 GMT

@Rroshro/ Usman Hafeez:This is especially for your attention! Well done to MSD! He and his team - in unanimous agreement - withdrew the appeal over Bell's run out. There is no controversy over the fact that by the laws of the game (and will everyone here understand that cricket has LAWS, other - and inferior - sports have rules?) Bell was out. Where Dhoni showed his character and generosity of spirit was in considering and then acceding to Strauss's and Flower's request to re-consider and then withdraw their appeal. When Dhoni eventually retires some years from now, he will reflect on his career and this incident, and conclude that he upheld the highest standards of the game he graced. His conscience will be clear, with his dignity and high standing intact. You see, my friends, as a young man he showed wisdom and judgement not often granted to the young. In short, he saw the difference between doing things right (that's always easy - it's in the book!) and doing the right thing! Bravo!

CANFAN
on July 31, 2011, 19:27 GMT

By the same token, the English team should have withdrawn the LBW appeal against Harbhajan Singh (HS) in India's 1st Innings after, surely, they had seen the 're-play' on the stadium's display screen that HS had actually nicked the ball with his Bat to Pad. If the English players on the field did NOT see this, the English team Coach (Manager) must have seen this and sent a message to the field to Strauss to withdraw the 'LBW appeal'. None of this was done! What happened to the spirit of the Game? Disappointing in deed!

on July 31, 2011, 19:24 GMT

it.s really great to see dhoni reacted quickly enough to avert sth that doesn't go with the spirit of the game. hats off to MS and his co...

wolsey
on July 31, 2011, 19:22 GMT

Just listened to Dravid talking about this incident he was asked about how it would be received In India. He said he hoped it would be well received and said that the team felt that they would be unhappy if one of their batsmen had been given out in such a manner. He actually said how would Indian fans feel if Tendulkar had been given out in this fashion. This to me is the point with all controversial decisions how would you feel if it happened to you. Also listened to Bell who said he wasn't attempting a run but he had been naive and made a mistake. For me regardless of laws etc India have shown character and excellent sportsmanship and I would be proud if my team had done it exactly as I was when Strauss recalled Matthews. The polar opposite of how I felt with the Collingwood incident with New Zealand. Regards those people talking about LBW 's and appeals all countries are the same for bad appeals etc and that is why we have DRS which is unfortunately being used in this series

on July 31, 2011, 19:21 GMT

A lot of people are talking about how Bell was 'definitely out' according to the laws of the game. I'm not so sure. Law 23 (xi) (b) on Deadball states that 'The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler's end umpire that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.'
I'd say there's a good case that Asad Rauf certainly thought that both the fielding and batting sides thought the ball was dead - he acted that way by holding out the bowler's jumper for him. Clearly the fielder's manner of throwing the ball back in contributed to this impression - whether intentionally or not. The stumps were broken pretty casually, and there was no excitement. Both batsmen clearly thought the ball was dead. Hence according to the law, I think the umpire was right to consider the ball dead, and though he didn't call it, he should have. I think in a roundabout way not only the spirit of the game but the law of the game have been upheld here

zelig
on July 31, 2011, 19:20 GMT

A quite disgraceful outcome to the Bell run-out incident.

India were within their rights to appeal and the validity of the appeal was confirmed by the third umpire. That should have been the end of the matter.

If there are any issues over the spirit of the game, they should concern the approach by Messrs Flower and Strauss to the Indian side during the tea interval, which no doubt raised the question of a hostile crowd reception. What Strauss and Flower should have done was to make it clear that Bell had been fairly (if unluckily) dismissed and that the game should move on.

England and its supporters should be reminded that they have no right to pressurise opposition sides because of a freak dismissal of one of its finest batsmen

The Indian team should have stuck top its guns, but capitulated instead. Dhoni's weak leadership is now being portrayed as a virtue.

voma
on July 31, 2011, 19:19 GMT

Actually as an England fan i wouldnt have been to bothered if Bell had been given out . He had allready done the damage , scoring 120 odd runs . With Prior and Bresnan / Broad coming in next , there was plenty of powerfull batting left . India bowlers have taken heavy punishment in this match , 417 runs in 1 day . Unbelievable !

yocasi
on July 31, 2011, 19:17 GMT

Great gesture by Indian team to recall Bell. Better to lose the game with your honour & dignity intact than to win through unsportsmanlike behaviour, even though such behaviour may be within the letter of the law. Hats off to M S Dhoni & team. BTW, England is showing remarkable resilience & depth in all departments.India may be lucky to lose by only 4-0.Could've been a 5-test series.

Stealth.BlckHwks.
on July 31, 2011, 19:17 GMT

Of all the useless things, this and the toss may be the only thing that the captain has done right. Salutes.

kabe_ag7
on July 31, 2011, 19:17 GMT

@Legster - Why should Dhoni have been 'rightly' criticised if he had not recalled Bell? India didn't play a trick on Bell, they didn't collide with him, intentionally or unintentionally. Batsmen get out for their carelessness all the time. And this was simply one such case of batsman's carelessness and nothing else. Having said that, Dhoni showed that he has a large heart.

on July 31, 2011, 19:16 GMT

Great decision by Dhoni and the Indian team. The Indian's are not the first team to appeal and then reverse their decision. It is what makes cricket great. It happened and nobody is to blame. The umpires follwed the rules. there was an appeal and they looked at it and made the correct decision. The teams sorted it out.

on July 31, 2011, 19:16 GMT

Absolutely hilarious how Indian fans are comparing the Bell situation to Harbhajan's LBW dismissal in their innings. Bad LBW decisions are part and parcel of the game, remember Tendulkar and Raina at Lords, and also remember that it was India that did not allow DRS to be used on LBW decisions. Also the argument that it was unsportsmanlike to appeal for a decision like Bhajji's, fielding teams have been appealing for things they know might not be out for decades if not longer, all teams do it. Fair play to Dhoni though, it was the right decision in keeping with the spirit of the game.

pitch_it_up
on July 31, 2011, 19:15 GMT

The spirit of the game is a bit quirky to understand. Is it within the spirit of the game for Ian Bell to walk off (or rather jog-off) without waiting for the umpire's decision or wait for the opponent fielder's to complete their fielding efforts. Isn't that disrespecting the opponents? He didn't check with umpire....a mere raising of his arm towards either of the umpire's would have been fine. Doing neither this nor waiting for the umpire's decision isn't in the right spirit either. Didn't we all criticize Muralitharan for doing the same in a game against NZ some time back in NZ. Murali, without waiting for the NZ fielder's to complete their fielding, ran towards his fellow team-mate (can't recollect who it was) to congratulate him on completing his century. Murali was given out. It was then unanimously agreed that Murali did not respect the rules of the game. So, why is it then Ian Bell's run-out being held India??!!

LordOfCric
on July 31, 2011, 19:15 GMT

People should realize that cricket is gentlemen's game. It wasn't dhoni who choose to reverse, Indian team decided to reversed it as article clearly mentioned. Once Prabarker was given IBW, he wasnt happy with umpire decison. Imran Khan gave him another chance and clean bowled him next ball. These are the example that earn you more respect than winning the test and loosing No. 1 ranking. It was a great to see Indian team keeping the spirit of game alive.

Sanath-aiyya
on July 31, 2011, 19:14 GMT

Well Done Dhoni and Dravid.
I must admit..at times i have been a harsh critic of the way the indian team
plays and how their board operates, but this was a really nice gesture,
you have won over one more fan

deepaksam
on July 31, 2011, 19:14 GMT

Instead of talking if others could/would have done it lets salute Dhoni and his men for playing a gentlemans game the way it should be played. India may even lose this game but the fact isthat cricket is a winner here!

on July 31, 2011, 19:12 GMT

@ prasanna1118> " Come to India , Opponents never gonna be disappointed by the crowd .. Best place to play test cricket in front of sportive crowd is INDIA. . !!"

Yeah, the whole world knows about the Indian crowd. (1996 WC semi-final is a small incident)

on July 31, 2011, 19:12 GMT

Very surprised by comments form some people calling Dhoni crafty, really and that too over Harper incident, go and check the records properly, ICC had removed Harper from the elite umpires team, much before the India WI series, so obviously he had a poor unprining record. Every player in the world can and should criticise poor umpiring and so did Dhoni. and today , Mr Bell was out clearly, umambiguosuly as he was not paying attention, so it was a great decision by team India. BTW, let me say with full conviction, India won't lose this test match despite wherever Team India stands today

KayVeeCee
on July 31, 2011, 19:10 GMT

Why is Dhoni is receiving much criticism for recalling Bell. I thought he made the country proud!

Stark62
on July 31, 2011, 19:08 GMT

Forget the spirit of the game!!!!

It was simply out and Bell being a professional should have known better then leaving his crease without the ump's call.

on July 31, 2011, 19:07 GMT

Why complain about the decision he was out later on, anyway England have just outplayed India and shown that they are the true number one team in the world

on July 31, 2011, 19:05 GMT

All is well... Even ENGLISH commentators like Nasser, Atherton and greats like Michael Holding, Ian Botham did feel that Indian team did nothing wrong on claiming that run out. A batsman playing for a national team like for England should be knowing the laws of the game and if he does not he has to pay for that. One more thing to be thought about is if the onfield umpires and the third umpire rules it as 'OUT' why the hell should a captain and coach enter into opponents' dressing room to ask for a life??? Thats certainly against the spirit of the game friends... is nt it?? Nothing on the EGO front.. But IAN BELL has done something wrong and as a perfect captain and an international coach you should not have sought the overturn of the decision and if the Indian team does overturn without that approach, even then it would have been good for ENGLISH and STRAUSS if he would ve sent the next man in... He should ve stood infront of the crowd and pacified them... As SACHIN did once vs PAK...

lobengula
on July 31, 2011, 19:04 GMT

warren - were we watching the same match. Bell, after PK rolled over the boundary, made a point of finnishing the third run, he then turned and trottd a fourth. all immaterial, he knows the rules and failed to apply them. That's not the only oversight in your summary; Dhoni was given a chance onfield to overturn the decision and chose not to ... he did it in the break where he probably got advice from senior members as well as support staff who all caved in unneccessarily. Maybe it was a lingering effect of the overblown, misrepresented attack on his 'behaviour towards Harper'

sirvivfan
on July 31, 2011, 19:02 GMT

Absolute rubbish. What has spirit of the game got to do with it! It only becomes spirit of the game when England are at the receiving end! What about Grant Elliot episode? What about Inzamam incident 2005 when inzimam was given out avoiding being hit by harmisin throw when he was 107? None of these were seen as spirit of the game. Real shocker, different rules for different people. The audacity if emgland management approaching Indian dressing room asking them to change the decision , really unbelievable! How is this any different to given put when you know batsman has not hit the ball or edge to bat and given lbw! No different. Please do. Ot make statements as to how bcci and ebb have excellent relationship, what does this mean other boards do not have if so why? If I was Indian supporter I would not be happy.. They have stopped competing in this series after 2 games! Riaz

Sayan87
on July 31, 2011, 19:02 GMT

Pat on the back to both the team captains and coaches..... If this was not sorted out and talked over ...... Could have been a bad remark on the relationship between the teams.......India saved the spirit of the game and England added to it by abiding by the rules..... Cricket is a religion that brings nations together.........Glad this incident happened.....
Both the teams can be proud of the way they handled this...

Any Guesses what would have happened if Strauss have walked into the Great Aussies dressing room...???

on July 31, 2011, 19:01 GMT

I believe once alec stewart could have done that to dravid, when he walked before the umpire could call time, but he just waved his hands over the bales as though to say, 'mate you could've been out'. May not be the same as bell actually hit the ball, but all the same, i feel too much is being made out of this.

Lallubhai
on July 31, 2011, 18:59 GMT

I can recall an England v Pakistan series in England where Javid Miandad announced that his team were going to ' win at all costs ' . I doubt if he would have reversed that decision . I doubt if most captains would have reversed that decision . God bless you MS.

lobengula
on July 31, 2011, 18:57 GMT

man, after watching Channel 5's version again on highlights i've been moved to write again. Bell made a school boy error, and like a schoolboy was embarrassed into claiming he'd heard umpire call time (I have to assume he hadn't or the Ump would've said he had), the crowd then took sympathy - who wouldn't, Bell looks like a schoolboy - and Dhoni was suckered into playing the school game. I'm just annoyed. I play pathetically low level village cricket here in the UK (and I say this because on the whole we play for fun - though get upset if we think a bad decisions been made) but we would expect idiocy to be punished with a raised finger - even if it was just a friendly - "lesson learned, mate...on yer bike ... and man up" This is not someone running someone out because they've backed up too far (something - despite not having to - we'd warn, probably twice), this is simply someone making a really stupid mistake and getting away with it.

Now I've seen it on the highlights it seems to me that Bell and England should have accepted his stupid mistake. A lot will be made of the spirit of the game and Dhoni needs to be congratulated for that but I'm not sure England's requested to overturn the decision was in the spirit of the game. Bell misread the situation which is usually the case with a run out. The question will be how would the game have gone if the run out had stood. As an England fan I can't take much pleasure in the probably inevitable victory.

TibbyAde
on July 31, 2011, 18:53 GMT

First of all, Bell was out. He made a stupid mistake and should pay for it with his wicket. However, some of the bile written on here is just plain dumb. Dhoni should be applauded for his decision to reinstate Bell but it should not be forgotten that he chose to submit an appeal even though the umpires asked him if he wanted to reconsider. So, even though he did reconsider it should not be forgotten that he conveniently ignored the 'spirit of cricket' until he had time to think of the implications.
As for hp32's comments about the Harbajan LBW then maybe you should consider that this has happened many times in test cricket and ALL sides have benefited from it. Maybe if the BCCI and the Indian team had embraced the DRS then they might have got the decision that they wanted. However, until they do agree to the DRS then they should not get, or expect to get any sympathy for any decision that goes against them.

anfour
on July 31, 2011, 18:52 GMT

According to me,Strauss and Flower asking Dhoni to reconsider the decision and Dhoni allowing Bell to continue batting were the actions not in the spirit of the game.Rules and laws are made to be followed.If the rules say that it is out,then it is.Unless the players dont appeal. In this case they appealed and it was declared to be out.And then after that if the decision is overturned,it is like not considering the game's laws.But of course in some cases it may not be the batsman's mistake such as a midpitch collision with a member of the opposing team.In such cases,giving it out may not be in the spirit of cricket. But in this case it was Bell's mistake and it should have been out.I also do not approve of the way the crowd behaved considering that it was their batsman's fault.

on July 31, 2011, 18:52 GMT

ahh doesnt matter, in context england still scored over 400 runs in one day, minimum lead will reach is around 400, india cannot win this match. This was a disastrous day for the series, india crushed really, and I don't expect a bounce back with the bat or for the rest of the series.

RS_Cric_11
on July 31, 2011, 18:49 GMT

All the guys who are favouring BELL and feels he was not taking the run, You look at the replay, you can sense, he was running 4 - 5 steps, till Morgan raised his hands.... (Look carefully), after that he slowed a bit and again two step its rather slow, then a back movement , trying to occupy his crease (that before throwing the ball), then he again ran back to Morgan's end (as if the session is end). He is he to decide if the session is over or not. Umpire was still not signaled it to be four. So what's funny in it. BELL was out nodoubt. Only it was a bit casual from all the players part.... BELL should have gone back to his crease, place his bat once... then if IND appeals, I 'ld have been the first guy to scream at the team. But BELL was out and it was within the spirit of the game.

on July 31, 2011, 18:48 GMT

Dhoni did the wrong thing! Bell was out as a result of him losing concentration and walking down the pitch and to make it worse the umpire din't even call over or remove the bails to show tea. I thought the umpire's decision was suppose to be final? Well since it's not the case then good luck to the ICC in the quest to get rid of corruption. Looks like the umpires are useless and the players are in charge. Anyways i'm disappointed in the crowd because of the booing. I wonder if it was andrew strauss who was the fielding captain would they have done the same? I hope not.

golax
on July 31, 2011, 18:47 GMT

First of all, I think it was a good decision by Dhoni. Aside from talk about the spirit of cricket, I for one would not like my team to be getting wickets in such a manner. But I would like to make another point here regarding several comments which say that we might not receive similar reciprocation or that we have had a few such instances go against us. I honestly believe that it is for the team to set its own standards and stick to them, irrespective of what the opponents do. I believe that the decision must take into account the nature of the dismissal alone, without considering the opponent, game scenario or the player dismissed, i.e. stripping the problem to its very core, would the team agree to such a dismissal in general? With that regard, I am glad that India took what seemed to be a sensible decision.

on July 31, 2011, 18:46 GMT

Congratulations Indian Cricket Team for your great sportsmanship !!!

johnson49
on July 31, 2011, 18:45 GMT

I think the right decision was made, however I am glad that Bell did not add another 50 runs and change the result of the match. Well done to Dhoni, but Bell will have learned a great lesson

on July 31, 2011, 18:44 GMT

this is a stupid decision by Dhoni...what is this so called spirit of game when the game is supposed to be played within its laws. when a batsman makes mistake, he has to pay for it whether it is nicking the ball to a fielder or being short of the crease. as simple as that.

bumsonseats
on July 31, 2011, 18:44 GMT

u cannot use the lbw of harbhajan and the bell dismisal as been similar. its like saying tendulkar should walk for the lbw that was not given or a batter should walk when hes hit it, is he does not would you say hes a cheat ( of course not ) you have to draw the line somewhere. not a bowler playing test match cricketer who has not gone up for a decision and he knows its not out. lets not go down that avenue. indian were very gracious the let him back, end of story. least we forget that india were put to the sword today after a wonderful batting display from england. dpk

on July 31, 2011, 18:42 GMT

A good gesture by Dhoni and the Indian team..............

on July 31, 2011, 18:41 GMT

Baji's selection was waste. .he was unfit. .then the england tracks are not suitable for spin. . .instead of baji irfan pathan is best for this kind of english tour . .he will swing the ball. .he can bat well. . .so the selection commite have think before they selecting players. . .We are wasted the oppertinuity after getting morgan and trott. .No chance to win for India. . atleast they have to Draw the match. . .The match is got away from indians. . .top 4 have to make a good start. .in batting. .

on July 31, 2011, 18:39 GMT

Right thing to do yes, but whats the prime reason people play professional sports? TO WIN! At the end of the day you play to win the game! Now it just so happens that Ian Bell didnt score much after he was recalled. However, if he goes on to make 250 and India loses, then what is the significance of fair play? As long as it is NOT illegal, you gotta do whatever it takes to win.

One more thing, I believe that you should not be able retract an appeal. If its out, its out. Thats like saying you file a complaint for a robbery, the robber gets caught and then you retract the complaint and then the robber is let go. It just seems kind of ridiculous that you can do that.

on July 31, 2011, 18:38 GMT

good sportive cricket frm dhoni and his men

bobmartin
on July 31, 2011, 18:36 GMT

Wrong decision by Dhoni and the Indian team... Bell was out and those from the England party who approached Dhoni were wrong to do so. The place to sort out whether or not the appeal should be withdrawn was on the pitch... not in the dressing rooms. Dhoni had been asked to withdraw and had declined, the umpires did exactly as required by the law, and the right decision was made. That should have been the end of the matter.

shrastogi
on July 31, 2011, 18:35 GMT

It was a good gesture by Dhoni & Indian team to recall Bell. That is how not just cricket but any sport should be played. Play fair and win. Bell wasnt going for run as Morgan wasnt looking at him and normally a batsman going for runs gestures or runs very fast. None of which was applicable.

Arthaurian
on July 31, 2011, 18:34 GMT

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH DHONI IF INDIA LOOSE THIS MATCH

lefty84
on July 31, 2011, 18:33 GMT

@Warren smith - It was a great gesture by msd and do not demean it by calling it as being done for publicity. Do show respect where it's due. Bell had jogged down after 3rd and started walking probably presuming it to be a boundary. And play wasn't called off nor was boundary given. It's a mistake on the part of bell to assume and walk off and India had no obligation to call him back.

Check the incident that happened y'day when Broad checked Laxman's bat for vasceline after hot spot failed to show any edge. He had no right to do that and he openly gives a great statement at end of day that he had checked the bat and found nOthing. So much for the spirit of the game.

Trickstar
on July 31, 2011, 18:31 GMT

Dravid in his interview on TV said it was a team decision and they said they didn't feel right getting him out that way and I think it was the correct thing to do. At the end of the day Bell only put on 20 odd more runs so the damage had already been done before that and it's been seen what Prior with Bresnan have added with also Broad and Swann to come.

piyu2930
on July 31, 2011, 18:31 GMT

it was wrong on dhoni's part to call Bell back.they humiliate laxman by examining his bat for vaseline rubbing and what we do,PARDON Bell for his mistake.i m sure england would have done just d opposite,had they were at india's place and d world would have praised them for their STICKING to d rules of d game.

cool2cool
on July 31, 2011, 18:30 GMT

@Legster, then what about yesderday's incidence of Broad checking Laxman's bat for Vaseline after Hot Spot showed no nick?
Was it sportsmanship or Spirit of the Game? Or will you say it is history now?

What would had been your reaction, if any Indian fielder had checked KP's bat when he was given not out in the first test?

wambling_future
on July 31, 2011, 18:30 GMT

I don't understand this whole business of Strauss and Flower going to MSD asking to withdraw the appeal in the name of "Spirit of the Game." The run out was perfectly within the Law and by saying that the appeal was against the spirit, indirectly the English management is saying that there are some laws in the Cricket which are against the "spirit of the game". Instead of approaching Dhoni why don't they go to Law makers and say "dude few of your laws are against the spirit". And does anyone remember Collingwood's run-out appeal against Martin Guptil (I think) in a match against New Zealand ? This is really unacceptable that Coach and Captain going to dressing room and asking(or requesting) opposition Captain to withdraw appeal. They should have accepted it and move on. If the English team thinks that they are the custodians of "spirit of the game", they need a reality check. They even complained about Vaughan's handle the ball as against the spirit in 2002 series.

on July 31, 2011, 18:27 GMT

It's easy to side-step controversies when your team is in box seat. When you're winning, you're often the sporting one - you walk when you nick it, you don't claim bump-ball catches and applaud the resolute fight of the opponent. The reason Dhoni and India can hold their head high, is 'cuz that wicket might've changed the game there.. they certainly were being outplayed and the wicket would have given them a sniff. ( what's more, by the letter of law they were perfectly entitled to claim it - the video footage clearly showing Morgan raising his hand - Bell started jogging the 4th one before he just ambled as if to implicate the time was called). For the greater good of the game though - this was sensible. Well done India, and well played England!

RS_Cric_11
on July 31, 2011, 18:26 GMT

@Warren Smith: Man, This is team india who plays in the right spirit of the game. Had it been Strauss, I can 100% assure you, the batsman would have been out and our captain Dhoni & Coach would not have come begging for the so called life line. Remember, what happened to VVS in WI, IND did not complain or to be precise was begging. The match is not over man. There are two complete days of play left. I agree England batted very well, we appreciate ENG's good batting and they have taken the command of the game right now. But, dont write IND of the match yet. Yes i'll agree if ENG score 470+, IND 'll loose the game, but if they fail to do it in the morning I bet you guys, IND 'll be in the winning side. TAKE MY WORDS......

Dipin.k.k
on July 31, 2011, 18:26 GMT

It was really unfortunate and shameful that strauss and andy flower approached dhoni requesting whether decision could be reversed. Dhoni just did the right thing. What else can he do? If India didn't respond to the request the relation b/w the sides would deteriorate. That was a crucial moment. Just after the tea Indians seemed despirited and concentration also fell apart. I feel strauss should not have approached dhoni. He should have accepted the dismissal, because it was fully as per the rules. In the past strauss had once recallled dismissed mathews, but there he was dismissed as he was obstructed though unintentionally during a run.
Now what happenend today- every thing that could have gone wrong went wrong today also. In morning bowling was disciplined; but sun coming out- no movement to trouble batsmen; then bell played well; then the tea time controversy just affected india badly

Shoobhit
on July 31, 2011, 18:22 GMT

not as big a deal as it is made out to be by Indian fans- in either way: by hailing or nailing MSD. Strauss had been mean when he refused runner to a cramping Greame.
It was in complete contrast to the SAfs,who, no doubt, play the game with the spirit. Remember, Hansie recalling Dravid following him colliding with Saurav.

on July 31, 2011, 18:21 GMT

I agreed with that decision of dhoni but then in 1st innings harbhajan should be recalled by strauss now where is the sporting spirit of english players.
and why should india always show that spirit against such teams.
think about this in both ways.

knan
on July 31, 2011, 18:17 GMT

By agreeing to withdraw the appeal, the Indian team showed good sportsmanship and upheld the spirit of the game. All those Indian supporters who are criticizing Dhoni for withdrawing the appeal, should remember what happened in Syd 2008. This should also serve as a lesson for those in the English media who are going overboard with the Laxman appeal yesterday.

bumsonseats
on July 31, 2011, 18:15 GMT

i think we do not need the comment would england have done it. it was a splendid thing that india did. i have listened to all the sky commentaters who to a man would not have let him back on to the field. but looking at the ex cricketers who said that, of the batters among them in their playing days i just onder if would have been the case then. dpk

woodybp
on July 31, 2011, 18:14 GMT

The spirit of cricket only seems to apply to England when it suits them, Collingwood appealing for the run out of Elliot at the Oval, Harmison running out Inzamam in 2005 when Inzamam was taking evasive action because Harmison had thrown the ball at him, and Pietersen backing away because he wasn't ready then hitting the ball and being caught against Bangladesh only for it to be called dead ball. Then today all decisions going in Englands favour!!!!

Devapriya
on July 31, 2011, 18:14 GMT

What about the incident where there was no 'recall'. When Murali went out of his crease to congradulate Sangakkara on his century, Brendon McCallum took off the bails - knowing very well he was not attempting another run. The appeal should have been withdrawn too.
But people who do not play the game as it should be never change.
The correct call was made today.

on July 31, 2011, 18:13 GMT

I feel sorry for India. If Bell was unsure whether the ball had crossed the boundary why did he leave his crease until the matter had been settled? He deserved to lose his wicket but because throught no fault but his own.

on July 31, 2011, 18:12 GMT

this is cricinfo comment at that time..'Update: Alan Wilkins says that on the way back, the umpires asked Dhoni is he wanted to withdraw the appeal retrospectively, but Dhoni said No. The decision stays - a more bizarre dismissal you will never see.'...if this is true, who can say dhoni has a good sportsmanship????

Master01
on July 31, 2011, 18:12 GMT

There was no need for India to do this. It was bells own fault. Why sdhould India pay for Bells mistake

on July 31, 2011, 18:09 GMT

Compare this to the actions of Stuart Broad checking Laxman's bat? Did the English crowd boo him then?

Sandip_Calcutta
on July 31, 2011, 18:07 GMT

It is time for Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower reciprocate this with recalling Harbhajan Singh, who was given LBW with a thick edge and Board went on getting a hat-trick . Also TT Bresnan was LBW at 0 and went on to get a partnership of 102* . Andrew Strauss must show the courage to rewind back 102 runs and given the wicket of Bresnan.

on July 31, 2011, 18:07 GMT

But sadly, I do remember the PAK vs IND test match at Kolkata - where Sachin got run out thanx to Shoib Akhtar - Sachin had made the ground within time but due to his subsequent collision with Akhtar (as he was standing in the way) - his bat got raised up in the air & the ball struck the wicket, at the non striker's end. PAK appealed, Sachin was given out & there was no recall either.
Pak can do well to inculcate some real cricket spirit too....Thanx to Dhoni we Indians don't have to feel guilty & can continue to idolize this team.....

bali_bali
on July 31, 2011, 18:06 GMT

England will not win this Match; India has given the match to England in the form of Bell's wicket. Strauss wouldn't have done this in the context of the Game. It was very clear from the body language of the Indian team member most of them were against the decision (Sharma, Yuvi, Baggi, Shree …).

on July 31, 2011, 18:06 GMT

from next time onwards, they should abolish the use of umpires and let the captains make all the decisions. then we will see the spirit of the game

Shakkee
on July 31, 2011, 18:02 GMT

It was the mistake of Ian Bell, over was not called, so how can he walk out of the crease. and rightly he was given out... I don't understand why the captain and the coach of England have to talk to Dhoni to reverse the decision.. Did they forgot the rules of cricket,, it's so funny and shame on england to ask to reverse the decision

on July 31, 2011, 18:01 GMT

there are ppl who r sayin what if similar incident had happened wd sachin...
lets go beyond d memory lane..
Does anybody remember india-pakistan kolkata test, whr sachin was given run out after being "accidently" pushed back by shoaib akhtar out of the crease...??
sourav ganguly on commentary said dt bell didnt intend to take a run...while he clearly ran 2-3 steps as can be seen by reply easily..so by the same logic sachin also didnt intend 4 a run...but he was not recalled back...English crowd was booing..but there was a riot in eden gardens literally & ultimately whole groung had to be emptied so that the play can resume....!!
If indians r bullies of cricket then why its always us who r expected to show the true spirit of the game??
If there was so much spirit of cricket involved, then why harbhajan was not recalled back, when it was shown by the giant screen in the ground, that it was actually"bat b4 wicket" & not "leg b4 wicket??
waitin 4 answers...

on July 31, 2011, 18:01 GMT

Dhoni u are a legend in this gentleman's game

Rakim
on July 31, 2011, 17:59 GMT

@Indian supporters; please stop complaining, what MS Dhoni did was the RIGHT thing to do. And match isn't over yet. Pitch is going to be pretty flat so India can still pull a win/draw.

Imran Khan recalled once an Indian batsman who wasn't happy with a LBW decision while given out. Imran clean bowled him next ball tho.

Its a gentleman's game afterall.

on July 31, 2011, 17:59 GMT

I do not know understand what spirit here everybody talking, where is the spirit when clean LBW decision was denied no. of times against india and same way wrong decision was given in favour of eng. why strauss/flower did not recall bhajji after given wrongly out.

george204
on July 31, 2011, 17:58 GMT

Probably the right thing to do in the end - far better than an incident which rankles for years afterwards. However, I wonder whether Dhoni will come in for some flak if India lose by less than 21 runs?

on July 31, 2011, 17:57 GMT

actually -the only Indian to come out of this with any credit is Dhoni. It wasnt the players who reveresed the decision - it was Dhoni, but it was the players who tried to run out Bell when he clearly wasnt going to take another run. Dhoni is crafty - he knew India were in a no win situation and took the lifeline extended by a greedy Strauss and Flower whos batsman made a mistake to wonder out of his crease before the keeper recieved the ball. I say its crafty for the mere fact that he knows he has copped some negative publicity lately with his well documented behaviour toward Harper, making India and himself look good - when in fact tehy dont deserve it.

200ondebut
on July 31, 2011, 17:57 GMT

A good gesture by Dhoni and the Indian team - real class which a number of others could do well to learn from. The fact that Bell only got another 20 means that hopefully it won't change the outcome of the game.

Chalachala
on July 31, 2011, 17:56 GMT

Im not a fan of Indian cricket or Dhoni, but my personal opinions on Dhoni and Indian cricket shakenand changed a lot. it ws a great decision which might cause the game for India. But this will remind by everyone for remarkable decision. Personally i believe this should not have been reversed. Bcz it is under the law of the game. So nobody stopped bell being in his crease. But grace for Indian captain.

on July 31, 2011, 17:56 GMT

Well, we can all hope that Dhoni has helped set a precedent in how cricket should be played. If fair play is good enough for the best team in the world, it's good enough for everyone.

xlcrhs
on July 31, 2011, 17:55 GMT

If a player is out he is OUT! It is not in the spirit of the game for players and coaches to enter their opponent's dresssing room to seek a change in ruling.

Alexk400
on July 31, 2011, 17:54 GMT

Great decision by dhoni. if india did not reverse and india lose , it would have been double bad. Even though it was valid run out , it is more of mistake by batsman thinking it was tea and ball went to four. India need to win right way. Because if it did n't then india have no right to say bad thing about audtrailia's winning ways.
Problem for india was selection of bhaji , I commented many times here before start of test , so indian team management make correct selection , they fail to go with 4 fast bowlers and they are struggling to get rid of tail.

demon_bowler
on July 31, 2011, 17:53 GMT

You've been totally outplayed on the field today India -- over 400 runs in a day, England doesn't do that very often to top teams -- but you can hold your heads high. Your team's decision -- and I understand Dhoni consulted the whole team before taking it -- not to claim a wicket under such unsporting circumstances has elevated you in the eyes of the entire cricketing world. I hope that India's moral leadership will set an example that other test captains will emulate. It is good to see India exercising its authority in the game for the good of the game. Three cheers for MS Dhoni and the Indian team.

borninthetimeofSRT
on July 31, 2011, 17:52 GMT

Ian rings a Bell to India - twice in three encounters since the world cup!!

raddoc001
on July 31, 2011, 17:52 GMT

How about Laxman's removal at Lords? Should the English captain have withdrawn his appeal?

on July 31, 2011, 17:52 GMT

Bell's out was within the cricket rules as umpire has given him out. This is same way Harbhajan was given out by the umpire during Board's hatrick. From now on whenever a batsman gets out, the captain and coach should request the opposite captain and the player will be recalled.

god4cric
on July 31, 2011, 17:51 GMT

Spirit ?. Spirit comes into picture when you take undue advantage of a law.
This incidence is very well within the rule, is there anything unmoral when u make a appeal when the batsmen is out of the crease.This is incidence very clear, Bell should have had more common sense than anything else and stayed in the crease until the ball is deemed dead by the umpires. Dhoni has cost India a wicket which could have made this game very interesting

on July 31, 2011, 17:50 GMT

Surprising that it took India until the English coach's request to realise "the spirit of cricket" even after all the booing etc.

DazTaylor
on July 31, 2011, 17:49 GMT

@hp32 dont talk rot. No way could they see it was an inside edge. By your words you are claiming they knew he edged it. Well, the umpire is closer and he didn't unless you are claiming the umpire is cheating? An awful lot of bile on this thread aimed at England. Shame on you all.

on July 31, 2011, 17:48 GMT

What Indians did was wrong. If Umpire didn't give a "Boundary Signal" and didn't call "Over" then how could Ian Bell assume it a Boundary and leave the crease. Rules are Rules, and here Rules of Cricket have been violated for the sake of Spirit of Cricket. Huh.... What if it wasn't the tea brea and next batsmen had came in and started his innings......? Poor show by Indians team management.

on July 31, 2011, 17:46 GMT

i still don't understand what kind of spirit makes it ok for a batsman to act like a moron and casually walk out of his crease without ensuring that the ball's dead and then be pardoned for that....

the other day laxman got out stumped when he lifted his leg barely a fraction of an inch without having any intention of going anywhere out of his crease... it was his lapse and he paid for it....

i think dhoni's made a huge blunder here.... i would have understood calling bell back if he had been run out without any fault of his own the way sachin was in that infamous eden gardens test all those years back....

on July 31, 2011, 17:44 GMT

what for Strauss and coach have gone to the Indian dressing room to ask Dhoni if the run-out decision could be overturned...sersly they dont mean to have ny sportsmanship...hats off to team INDIA.

SarahOZZZ
on July 31, 2011, 17:44 GMT

Sadly, as I sit in England watching this match, I can see inconsistency. First of all, Bell was out, and it was within the laws of the game for him to be given out- simple as that. As Dhoni comes out and says let him bat on, it begs the question would England have done the same- the answer is no!

Most commentators are now commending Dhoni on keeping the spirit alive, while ignoring the damage Broad has done during this test. First he checked Laxmans bat for vaseline. How disrespectful! Seconly, he appeals for a huge inside edge, which was seen by all, and gets away with. Thirdly how can Strauss go into his opposeing numbers quarters during a break and ask for him to be reinstated?? Are these new rules we are witnessing? What makes matters worse is when Trott was given not out later on in the day-where replays showed he was, Strauss did not move, so much for sportsmanship! This is the natue of the game here sadly.

ramverma987654321
on July 31, 2011, 17:43 GMT

dhoni should have scene the replay carefully before calling bell back. I think he has been a little immature. and how can one forget that strauss had refused to give a runner to smith in the champions trophy. dhoni missed a chance to teach strauss a lesson

prasanna1118
on July 31, 2011, 17:36 GMT

@hp32 Well said ... ............

Legster
on July 31, 2011, 17:34 GMT

Cool2Cool, Collingwood should have recalled Elliot, no doubt about that, he was wrong not to. For your information, Strauss in the past recalled Angelo Matthews in the Champions Trophy Quarterfinals after he was run out after a collision.

So Mohit, that means you are wrong about Strauss doing the opposite. I just wish people stop getting their history in a tangle before they go spouting off blind assertions as "fact"

Ultimately, credit must go to Dhoni for rescinding the appeal. If he'd not withdrawn it he'd rightly be criticized, just like Collingwood was rightly criticized, just like the Kiwis were rightly criticized for running Murali out when Sangakkara was celebrating his century.

on July 31, 2011, 17:34 GMT

You know, everybody's quick to remember the Collingwood/Elliott incident, or the Strauss/Smith runner denial, but am I the only one who remembers Strauss calling Angelo Mathews back during the Sri Lanka/England Champions Trophy game? I guess so.

on July 31, 2011, 17:33 GMT

This clearly shows the weakness of Indian team and its captain-the submissive nature-......with this sort of an attitude we are going to loose the number one status in test after this series...We don't show any sign of aggression and we still welcome the other teams influence in decisions even though we are the number one in test and world cup champions...

tjsimonsen
on July 31, 2011, 17:31 GMT

Good decision from Dhoni. And please don't insult it by comparing it to dodgy LBWs, Bhajji's yesterday or any other. Otherwise one could equally ask if Cook shouldn't have been recalled on the first morning, or if Trott should have walked later on, and the list goes on. This was one particular incident, that could have lead to a very nasty remaining series - Dhoni averted that and deserves all possible credit for it. As for the match situation, Bell had clearly lost his rythm and didn't add many runs, so it probably/hopefully won't mean much in the end.

nickw1979
on July 31, 2011, 17:31 GMT

Well done to Dhoni for making the right call (on the second or third opportunity!). To those Indian fans who seem to disagree that the right thing happened, what would you be saying if it was Sachin run out in the same circumstances?

looks like spirit of game only applies to india. i wonder where these so called self righteous ppl when laxman was given out stumped.when was the last time england or australia played with spirit of the game they have no right to talk abt spirit of the game.

on July 31, 2011, 17:26 GMT

Why u guys appraising Dhoni...he did nothing. If he did, why he didnt recall bell on that time, the indian coach may have taken the decision.

Rroshoo
on July 31, 2011, 17:26 GMT

I DONT UNDERSTAND whats wrong with all u people who are hailing DHONI as great decision etc etc. I think its an extremely poor captaincy. Ian Ball made a mistake as a batsman, thats it , PERIOD. I simply dont understand these SPIRIT OF GAME and all that crap that everyone talks about. JUST PLAY WITHIN THE RULES OF THE GAME and everything else will be taken care of. I dont know whey r u guys praising Dhoni fo this, who knows if bell hadnt come back, england might have bowled out by now. This softer approach will never help India winning beyong an extent. We need to learn from Aussies. Just play within the rules of the game and dont try to be too generous.

on July 31, 2011, 17:23 GMT

Dhoni save the day for Gentlemen's Game. Hats off to him.....

abhijeet1in
on July 31, 2011, 17:22 GMT

Now only if Michael Vaughn could show a little bit of sportsmanship.

Gupta.Ankur
on July 31, 2011, 17:21 GMT

I am against what Dhoni's decision, simply because such acts will never be reciprocated......

on July 31, 2011, 17:18 GMT

When u see comments section anyone can easily understand that there are more number of indians who hated dhoni rather than english people. I am waiting for those people to post comments.When u see comments section anyone can easily understand that there are more number of indians who hated dhoni rather than english people. I am waiting for those people to post comments.

Trickstar
on July 31, 2011, 17:18 GMT

Dhoni take a bow, looked a four for all money Kumar layed on the floor for a fair bit, before gently getting up and walked to the ball and under armed it in. Under normal circumstances a batsman would take that as been 4 runs. Bell should have made sure the ball was dead, by asking the umpire but at the end of the day it wouldn't of happened if it wasn't the tea break.

i m a pakistani cric fan but i really appreciate wat the indian captain or team has done in the spirit of the game... though it was a wicket of a world class well set ian bell who certainly looked like being invincibe

Rroshoo
on July 31, 2011, 17:05 GMT

This is ridiculous on England's coach and captain's part and even more ridiculous from Dhoni. The decision of batsman run out was within the rules of the game. If Ian Bell mijudged that it was a boundary then thats his fault. Batsman deserves to be given out for such mistakes. I cant believe that Indian team actually obliged to England's request. Mind Boggling.

cool2cool
on July 31, 2011, 17:03 GMT

Why do you want to show the sportsmanship against the team like England?
And why always India has to play with the "Spirit of the Game"?

Do England play with the "Spirit of the Game"?
If yes, why not a single English fielder applauded or even clapped when Dravid scored a century yesterday??? Why Collingwood did not recall Grant Elliott back in 4th ODI in 2008 at Kennington Oval?

cric-maestro
on July 31, 2011, 17:03 GMT

@ll english fans: talking about the spirit of the game...what abt yesterday's incident of Stuart broad checking laxman's bat after that review...wud love comments frm english people...........

cric-maestro
on July 31, 2011, 17:02 GMT

@ll english fans: talking about the spirit of the game...what abt yesterday's incident of Stuart broad checking laxman's bat after that review...wud love comments frm english people...

on July 31, 2011, 17:01 GMT

Good on MS Dhoni. He would have be well within his right to take the wicket, but in a real show of integrity decided to do what he thought was fair and "in the spirit of the game". I wouldn't - as an England fan - have faulted him for not withdrawing the appeal, but appreciate that he did. A good example to all who play.

on July 31, 2011, 17:00 GMT

just in the morning sunny gavaskar said we r not ruthless
dhoni had the oppurtunity to change it

he had the moment to grab by its throat and club it down but he showed weakness.

i m not saying don't have sportsmanship

but show chivalry only to those who deserve it.

had it been strauss in dhoni's place he would have surely done the opposite as he has already shown in the past incidents

on July 31, 2011, 16:56 GMT

MS DHONI - THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A TRUE LEADER. A TRUE LEADER SHOULD HAVE DHONI'S QUALITIES... JAIHO MSD.

on July 31, 2011, 16:55 GMT

where was the sportsmanship when strauss refused smith a runner or when collingwood made the decisionfor elliot run out appeal to stay.
wonder if all of applies to only india or subcontinent teams.

hp32
on July 31, 2011, 16:55 GMT

Just one question: Where was Andrew Strauss and Stuart Broad's spirit of the game when Harbhajan inside-edged the ball and was still given LBW? Why was there an appeal when the edge was very OBVIOUS. To me, its sad that Cricket's motherland plays in the least spirit of all nations.

on July 31, 2011, 16:55 GMT

MS.Dhoni has earned some good points here...similar to what happened to Anil Kumble in australia last time aroubd.. i would endorse dhoni's decision to recall...if this didn't happen then indian team wud have received some flak from media and other cricketers..It was in the spirit of the game and kudos to the indian captain...i hope this will be a good example for MCC cricket standards...

UNIVERSAL_CRICKETER
on July 31, 2011, 16:53 GMT

THE RE-CALLING OF BELL PROVES WHAT THE MATCH RESULTS ARE SHOWING.....ie TEAM INDIA IS NOT CONFIDENT & ARE UNDER-PREPARED.....IT LOOKS JITTERY & UNSURE.....THEY ARE NOT AGGRESSIVE IN THEIR APPROACH & STROKE PLAY........... MS DHONI IS DISTRACTED BY SOMETHING....HE IS NOT HIS USUAL CONFIDENT SELF......LOOK AT SACHIN BATTING....HE LOOKS SO TENSED & AGITATED.......THE RE-CALLING IS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS & TIMIDNESS......

CharlieAlanJakeHarperFamily
on July 31, 2011, 16:44 GMT

lots of generosity from india and msdhoni warne,atherton,nasser were convinced that it was perfectly within laws of game but as always everyone expects indian to play with spirit of cricket one expects an apology from crowd and strauss the great captain who himself did not gave a runner to graeme smith when smith was clearly struggling and eng would have won i guess u play in a tit-for-tat manner and way in which ur opposition understands i can gaurantee strauss would not have called even a tailender

prasanna1118
on July 31, 2011, 16:42 GMT

This is the way indians play their cricket .. I dont think any other captain wud ve called bell back ... A big credit goes to MS. . Actually it was bell's mistake to leave the crease when the ball is still in play and tea is not called by the umpire ... Strauss wud never do wat MS did .. And many say England is the best place to play test cricket ... No , This crowd is poor ,not sportive crowd . . . Everyone who had heard the boo they gave to indian team is worst sportive manner and hardly clapped dravid's century.. Come to India , Opponents never gonna be disappointed by the crowd .. Best place to play test cricket in front of sportive crowd is INDIA. . !!

shamlaatu
on July 31, 2011, 16:39 GMT

I wont go back too much in history but with what face did Strauss and Flower go to the Indian dressing room and asked Dhoni to reverse the decision in the name of sportsman spirit and ethics of the game - something that Strauss was clueless about only yesterday when Bhajji got a big inside egde at the lbw. I may have my differences with the Indian team but Dhoni was just way too nice of a gentleman to answer back the call. I would have not done it. Shame on Strauss and Flower.

B.C.G
on July 31, 2011, 16:37 GMT

Both parties will be fine & a major controversy averted.The English fans will be pleased that Bell wasn't given out undeservedly while Indian fans will be relieved Bell was dismissed on merit.

HARIS355
on July 31, 2011, 16:35 GMT

Bell was legally out, but Dhoni showed a classic piece of brilliant sportsman spirit :) Bell assumed that he had hit a boundary and just halted his fourth run and continued to move back towards to pavilion for tea. Umpire ceased the break and the decision was referred to third umpire who gave Bell run out. Dhoni showing sheer sportsmanship recalled Bell back and founded a marvelous example for the youngsters out there :P Hats off!!

yuva19
on July 31, 2011, 16:35 GMT

Gentle man's game reassured!!! Hats off to MSD

on July 31, 2011, 16:32 GMT

The Spelling of Bizarre in "Bell recalled after bizzare run-out" is quite Bizarre!!!

Wahsoo
on July 31, 2011, 16:30 GMT

Well done MSD.........Playin the game in the right spirit is more important than the RESULT.......... U rockk maan

on July 31, 2011, 16:28 GMT

Thumbs up to Team India for withdrawing the appeal in the "spirit of the game". Would England have done the same in the circumstance, I wonder...??!

ns_krishnan
on July 31, 2011, 16:28 GMT

It was't a Murali-Sangakkara like situation where the batsman was not attempting a run. Clearly Bell was going for a fourth run and it was not wise of him to stop midway. I guess it is a bit like a batsman not knowing that a close-in fielder/ keeper has caught the ball and leaving for a run . THERE WAS NO NEED TO CALL HIM BACK. Anyway congrats Dhoni for sacrificing an opportunity for a Test win to improve your PR image.

on July 31, 2011, 16:26 GMT

dhoni showed what a high class cricketer and human being

vichan
on July 31, 2011, 16:23 GMT

Bell was a little silly, but I still think unlucky to have been given out. The Indian fielder on the boundary indicated with his body language that the ball had hit the boundary. In the end sanity prevailed and hats off to MS Dhoni - a gentleman.

on July 31, 2011, 16:19 GMT

Usually im not a fan of Mahi bt this kind of sportsmanship is rare!
This is why cricket iz a gentleman game n football is not!
A standing ovation 4 u MSD from me.
U r the reall hero......
U take a place in my heart forever

on July 31, 2011, 16:19 GMT

Bizarre spelling of bizarre too.

No featured comments at the moment.

on July 31, 2011, 16:19 GMT

Bizarre spelling of bizarre too.

on July 31, 2011, 16:19 GMT

Usually im not a fan of Mahi bt this kind of sportsmanship is rare!
This is why cricket iz a gentleman game n football is not!
A standing ovation 4 u MSD from me.
U r the reall hero......
U take a place in my heart forever

vichan
on July 31, 2011, 16:23 GMT

Bell was a little silly, but I still think unlucky to have been given out. The Indian fielder on the boundary indicated with his body language that the ball had hit the boundary. In the end sanity prevailed and hats off to MS Dhoni - a gentleman.

on July 31, 2011, 16:26 GMT

dhoni showed what a high class cricketer and human being

ns_krishnan
on July 31, 2011, 16:28 GMT

It was't a Murali-Sangakkara like situation where the batsman was not attempting a run. Clearly Bell was going for a fourth run and it was not wise of him to stop midway. I guess it is a bit like a batsman not knowing that a close-in fielder/ keeper has caught the ball and leaving for a run . THERE WAS NO NEED TO CALL HIM BACK. Anyway congrats Dhoni for sacrificing an opportunity for a Test win to improve your PR image.

on July 31, 2011, 16:28 GMT

Thumbs up to Team India for withdrawing the appeal in the "spirit of the game". Would England have done the same in the circumstance, I wonder...??!

Wahsoo
on July 31, 2011, 16:30 GMT

Well done MSD.........Playin the game in the right spirit is more important than the RESULT.......... U rockk maan

on July 31, 2011, 16:32 GMT

The Spelling of Bizarre in "Bell recalled after bizzare run-out" is quite Bizarre!!!

yuva19
on July 31, 2011, 16:35 GMT

Gentle man's game reassured!!! Hats off to MSD

HARIS355
on July 31, 2011, 16:35 GMT

Bell was legally out, but Dhoni showed a classic piece of brilliant sportsman spirit :) Bell assumed that he had hit a boundary and just halted his fourth run and continued to move back towards to pavilion for tea. Umpire ceased the break and the decision was referred to third umpire who gave Bell run out. Dhoni showing sheer sportsmanship recalled Bell back and founded a marvelous example for the youngsters out there :P Hats off!!